Let It Rain
by SparrowOfTheBlock101
Summary: "Life is a storm - either get an umbrella or dance in the rain." - Anonymous "Clarity is momentum that has no resistance in it." - Abraham Hicks
1. Chapter 1

_He could remember how they met with full on clarity that only ever happened in a game..._

 _Daiki had been walking beneath an overpass, ducking out of the rain. He'd skipped practice, no longer able to stand the sound of the basketball bouncing, the swish of the hoop, the squeak of the shoes_ (he kept seeing eyes dimming, no longer full of passion). _His hand went through his hair and he sighed heavily. For the moment, he stood there, feeling his phone vibrate against his side, knowing it was Satsuki or Akashi. He just - he couldn't find anything in him to care. How could he when basketball had become boring?_

 _It was the sound of music that brought him out of his stupor. Dropping his hand, he looked around and moved closer to the other exit, where the noise was originating. Blue eyes fell on a bag cradling speakers and a phone, the devices attached. Next to them was a pair of orange converse sneakers and small black socks. His brows furrowed and he looked back up and saw a figure dancing the rain, spinning wildly. There was female laughter. Stepping closer, Daiki was a bit relieved that the rain was light enough to see the girl, maybe around his age or so, clearly._

 _Barefoot, her legs were clad in ripped blue jeans and her (rather large, he noted automatically) torso was covered by a grey tank top and a orange crop top hoodie. Black hair made darker by the rain was set up in a really messy bun and when she came to a spinning halt facing his way, left leg swinging water up in the air with a louder, gleeful laugh and wide splash and he thought some sort of image covered her when there was the sound of thunder, lightning striking in the background and making the area around her go white for a second. The wide smile made his chest ache, reminding him of his_ (tainted) _love for basketball. She spun once more, kicking up water with her right leg this time…_

 _And stilled, staring straight at him._

 _Both were frozen, the music playing distantly with the rain cutting in from time to time. He barely moved when he breathed, blue eyes hardly blinking. Daiki felt like whatever happened next, could make or break something, he just didn't know what it was. He doubted she knew, too._

 _The girl broke the tension, straightening and standing tall. Her head tilted slightly and she held out her right arm, hand out._

 _He swallowed, not sure why, but pulled his phone out of his pocket and slid it into his backpack and dropped it beside hers. Daiki bent over tugging his laces and removing first his shoes, then his socks. Those off, he rolled his pants up to his knees and walked over to her._

 _The first step into a puddle made him grimace, the cold water lashing angrily at his toes. Rain got him wet instantly and his hair plastered itself against his head and the top of his forehead. His steps were quick and soon he was beside her, looking down into blue-green eyes. A pause. A breath in. A breath out. He reached out and placed his hand against hers, the tiny palm shifting so their fingers linked and she pulled him closer. Her pale pink cheeks turned redder and she beamed up at him, blinking against the rain._

" _Do you know how to waltz?" She asked over the rain._

 _A small frown formed. He knew a little from what he'd been forced to do with Satsuki when she had her dancing phase. "A little."_

" _That's okay, that's what the spinning is for."_

 _Blue eyes blinked down at her and then they were moving. Somehow (he still didn't know how) they got into position. His hand resting along the back of her waist, hers on his shoulder. Their other hands were clasped together and she lead their dance. When he fumbled a step, she simply turned it into a wide spin. Her lips stretched once more into a gleeful grin and her eyes were bright as she looked up at him. He couldn't help smiling back. She was just a little shorter than him, just up to his shoulders, a bit taller than Satsuki. Her chest pressed against his and he could feel it more with every spin, their breathing speeding up at every turn. Before he realized it, he was laughing. Not one reason why, but for some reason, he felt lighter than he had in days._

 _(The beast was content for the first time in weeks)_

" _Aomine Daiki."_

 _She blinked at him and smiled softly. "Tachibana Kasumi."_

 _Nothing else was said as they continued to dance in the rain, losing track of the hours. It was only when the speakers blared an alarm that they stopped. After that, everything lost its clarity as the two rushed to get their stuff and get back home in the late night. But not before exchanging numbers and plans to meet in the rain again…_

* * *

 _He remembered asking her to be his girlfriend…_

 _It was a couple months after their meeting, near the beginning of winter break in their second year, months after when Murasakibara had challenged Akashi and a different Akashi appeared. When it happened, Daiki spent the majority of his time hiding beneath the overpass. Kasumi joined him, as both were from Teiko (he was surprised, as he'd never seen her there until learning she was in class 2-A and tended to disappear into the photography clubrooms) and she was one of the better photographers so she got away with more things despite her begrudgingly will to take sport pictures. That, he knew mainly because she'd force him to go on walks with her while she took pictures. Daiki personally preferred her rain photos._

 _At the time, they were wandering through the light snow along the streets near the Touou Academy. The duo had begun learning more about each other, the girl coming out of her comfort zone and losing some of her awkwardness. She was different depending on the situation. When it came to photography, she had no compunctions about ordering him around if she included him in a picture. At dancing, she tended to forgo personal boundaries and get up close, bright and loud as she sung with the songs (which, as most were from America, helped to improve his English speaking) and her eyes would light up_ (her eyes would be so full of passion, so full of life that it hurt, wishing even more to have someone to play against) _. During moments that didn't have the two, she was quieter, but startlingly honest. Of course, she had no problems about insulting people or things under her breath when she was upset, which happened a lot when they (mainly her) did homework. Kasumi would switch to either English or Spanish when she did and he found himself slowly learning the languages as he asked her about them. Not to mention she sometimes used Pokemons as descriptions (she usually called him a Snorlax)._

 _For their walk at the time, they were curiously looking at Touou._

" _So, do you plan on going here, Daiki?" She asked as she looked through her viewfinder to the building. "It's near your house and all."_

 _Daiki grunted as he leaned against the stone wall surrounding the school. "Ah. Maybe? Don't really know. You?"_

 _Kasumi shrugged as she pulled away from the camera and scowled at it. "I think I might go to Seirin. It's only a few blocks away from my house, so less travel time and completely new slate."_

" _Lazy," he drawled and smirked at her flat look._

" _You're one to talk," she said, but her lips were twitching as she looked through the camera at the school again, shifting her body. There was a faint click._

 _Daiki silently straightened and walked up behind her, dropping his chin on her head and making her twitch as his arm looped around her shoulders. He lazily looked the tiny picture screen over. "Are ya gonna do that contrast thing to it? Looks like it'd be better with the lights brighter on the sidewalk."_

 _Her head shifted and he lifted his as she began mumbling to herself, dropping his head lightly onto her scarf-covered shoulder instead. Her voice was indecipherable as she messed with her camera. He breathed in the light apple scent and buried his face into her shoulder, thinking._

" _Oi, Kasumi."_

" _Hmm?"_

" _I like you. Be my girlfriend."_

 _ **Pit pat pit pat pit pat**_

" _One condition."_

" _Ah?"_

" _Teach me more about basketball."_

 _Scoff. "That's a given. Don't need you seeming like a bad girlfriend for not knowing crap 'bout basketball."_

" _Don't be such a Beedrill."_

" _Hey. You know I don't do black and yellow, stop that."_

" _They have white-silver wings."_

" _I don't do that either."_

* * *

 _They graduated from Teiko and were relaxing beneath the overpass again. Rain could be hear echoing through the area and seen on either side._

" _Touou, huh? Least it's still in Tokyo," Kasumi hummed lightly as she frowned idly at his magazine that she stole._

 _Daiki scoffed lightly. "Satsuki's following me, though. She's treating me like a kid."_

" _Poor Daiki," she teased, eyes flicking to his above the magazine. "At least you won't have to deal with Kise-san daily."_

 _He laughed. "You didn't have to go with the_ Zunon Boy _internship."_

 _Kasumi groaned. "Yes, I did. It's the only one close by that I won't have too much travel time." She paused and slapped the magazine with a Spanish curse. "That position is wrong! If they really wanted to accent her curves they'd have her use her arm to push her breasts up and looking over her shoulder back at the camera!" She fumed._

 _A choked laugh escaped him and he rolled closer to her, draping an arm around her waist and pressed his grinning face against her clothed thigh. "You know most girls would be upset about their boyfriend having a gravure magazine, not the whole "wrong position.""_

 _She huffed and pouted at the magazine before dropping it on his bag. "They've clearly never thought about improving and complimenting other girls than." Kasumi leaned back against the stone wall of the tunnel and began running her fingers through his hair. The music was softer than usual and he could feel himself falling into a doze._

" _I'll watch over them."_

 _The soft whisper made him look up at her with one eye. Her blue-green eyes were calm as she gazed at him. A small smile tugged at his lips and he squeezed her slightly._

" _Thank you."_

* * *

A week after the school year began, Ryouta lead his new coach and team out of the _Zunon Boy_ branch in Tokyo. Takeuchi had wanted to meet with his manager and his team (mainly Moriyama and Hayakawa) wanted to see the building and the people. The meeting was over, though Takeuchi was still speaking with his manager a bit and they were getting ready to head back to Kanagawa.

He blinked in surprise as he spotted familiar dark blue hair in the courtyard of the building when the regulars left the building. "Aominecchi?" He mumbled as he spotted a bouquet in the darker teen's hands.

Aomine was dressed in grey cargo shorts, a surprisingly orange shirt, and a loose dark blue jacket. He wasn't wearing sneaker either, rather just white sandals and Ryouta was a little stunned because he actually looked nice! He was usually just dressed in easy to move clothes that never complemented each other! The bouquet also matched his outfit and Ryouta could only name the flowers thanks to his older sisters and mom. Orange tiger lilies and blue irises with white plumeria flowers popping up between the two colors. He'd look up the meanings later, for now…

"Ah, look! It's Aominecchi!" His senpai followed his gaze and he gleefully bounced over to his former teammate, calling out. "Aominecchi!"

The other teen looked up from his bag, blinking blankly at the blond. "Kise?"

"What are you doing here? Is Momocchi here?" The blond asked curiously. "I haven't seen you since graduation!"

A scowl of annoyance formed on Aomine's face. "I'm not a kid, Satsuki doesn't need to stick to me. And I'm here to pick someone up."

"Eeeh?" Kise twitched in surprise as his teammates came up beside him.

"Is it a girl?" Moriyama asked curiously and Kasamatsu twitched slightly.

"I'd hope so," Aomine drawled, eyeing the seniors and nodding silently in greeting before looking at his phone and then the door. "Yeah, she should be here by now…"

Aomine trailed off and Ryouta stilled underneath his hooded, unimpressed stare. He tried smiling, but it came out weakly. "Aominecchi?"

"I don't think I need to tell you to keep this quiet, do I, Kise?" A dark blue eyebrow raised. "I'd rather not have anyone sticking their nose in my business. Wouldn't wanna haveta harvest any toes and use 'em in voodoo."

"H-hai." Ryouta paled rapidly and blinked at the faint, crooked grin forming.

"Good. It was nice seeing you." Aomine glanced at his seniors. "I expect to see you in the Inter High. See ya."

That said, he tilted his head and slipped around them, heading towards the company entrance. The Kaijo boys turned to see a girl, one Ryouta recognized as the photographer intern, step out of the building. Her steps faltered along with Aomine's as they glanced between each other. She was dressed in matching orange ripped capris, dark blue shirt under a grey jacket, and white sandals. The black haired girl (why couldn't he recall her name?!) said something and the two laughed. Accepting the bouquet, her face lit up and Aomine took her hand before they began walking away from the building. Her camera bag rested on her hip as they walked, swaying slightly.

Ryouta stared in confusion, never knowing that Aomine could be such a gentlemen.

"I'm guessing Aomine usually isn't like this?" Ryouta looked at Kobori, blinking.

"Ah, yeah. He's never acted like this before…" he trailed off, frowning. 'What else is there I don't know? And I can't even tell Momocchi… Does she even know?'

"Well, you better keep your word about not talking about this." Hayakawa said, glancing at the blond. "He seemed like he'd hit you if he did."

The blond bristled, pouting at the brunet. "I wouldn't do that! Besides," he shivered. "Aominecchi has too much blackmail on me."

"Wonder if he'll share," Kasamatsu mused and Ryouta squawked. "What? If it keeps you in line…"

He could only flail, horrified. "Senpai, no! There's already too much blackmail on me out there, there doesn't need to be more! Senpai!"

Ignoring him, Moriyama glanced at Kasamatsu. "Can't we just make our own blackmail?"

"We don't usually have our phones on us, though," Kobori pointed out quietly.

The four continued speaking about it and ignoring their ace blatantly (Kasamatsu did bop him on the head when he got too loud).

* * *

"They had a practice game," Kasumi said as she plopped down beside Daiki on the sleeping bag they'd stashed in a tree near the tunnel.

"Hah?" Daiki rolled onto his side, confused at the lack of greeting.

"Seirin and Kaijo. I managed to sneak my way onto Kaijo grounds to watch," She held up her phone. "Wanna see?"

He side eyed it then nodded, sitting up and leaning his back against the wall. "So long as we don't need to do homework. Satsuki's getting suspicious over my grades."

The girl snickered as she slumped against his side, passing him the phone. "I can try and help you go for a C average if you want…"

His eyes flicked down to her and he dropped his arm on her shoulders. "What's up?"

She was silent and he chose to watch the videos, letting her gather her thoughts. He kept himself relaxed as he watched the videos, scowling when he saw Kise accidentally hit Tetsu and squished Kasumi slightly. "How did you not go down there and fuss over Tetsu?"

"Hmm?" Kasumi lifted her legs over his so she could get closer. "Ah, I followed his team to the doctor. When they got out, Aida Riko, their coach, said he was cleared, no concussion."

A hum left him as the game finished. "So the redhead is his new Light, then… Kasumi…" He trailed off, locking eyes with her.

A small, apologetic smile turned up her lips. "You screwed up, doll. You're gonna have to fix it yourself."

Lips pursing, he squinted at the phone. "I know… anyway, what were ya thinkin' about earlier?"

Grimacing, she sat up straight. Her eyes flickered everywhere but his. "I was, uh, thinkin' about becoming their manager…"

"Why the stalling?" Daiki asked curiously, toying with her hand.

Kasumi coughed slightly and he watched in slight amusement as her cheeks turned red. "I, uh, wanted to stalk them a bit longer…?"

Daiki laughed and wobbled their legs. "So you admit it! You are a stalker!"

Her face turned even darker and she frogged him in the thigh, making him flail slightly in pain. She sighed. "I don't know, I still have basketball terms to get right and not mix up… Maybe…" Kasumi scowled at the far wall.

Rubbing his thigh, he nudged her. "Give it a few weeks. Your brain will turn to mush if you don't chill."

"It's been a year and a half, though… I should know them by now."

At her pout, he leaned forward and kissed her softly. Pulling away, he murmured, "Let's go to the big mall, yeah? You can scout the camera store."

He felt her lips turn up into a grin. "Don't you mean terrorize the workers."

They kissed again.

* * *

Slouching against a pillar, Daiki glanced around the mall and up at the skylight, squinting. ' _She must be getting more polaroid film.'_

Pulling his phone out, he double checked with her.

In reply, she sent back a picture of a polaroid set, multi tinted greyscale items, and asking if he wanted one.

 **From: Uxie**  
' _THEY'RE ON SALE, IS IT MY LUCKY DAY OR WHAT?!'_

He laughed at the message quietly.

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _They got basketball stickers?'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Lucky day~ Lucky day~'_

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _Black, please? No girly stuff'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Why would I want girly stuff? Animal stickers don't count'_

Sending her an emoji with the tongue out, he said he'd see her at the sushi restaurant and earned an affirmative.

"Aomine?"

Blinking, he glanced up and raised a brow. "Midorima?" Daiki looked the green haired teen over, seeing four other guys over. All five looked frazzled and the short black haired male was looking around warily. He deadpanned, knowing immediately what happened. "It's a bad day for Cancers and you don't have your lucky item."

"He almost got ran over by a motorcycle on the way here," the tallest teen said dully, keeping a close eye on Midorima.

"A crate nearly hit his head when we entered the mall," the lone blond added, just as dull. He kept squinting up at the skylight suspiciously.

"Midorima barely stepped on the escalator when something went wrong with it." That came from the teen with really short hair, seemingly close to tears. "And we didn't believe him in the beginning."

The shortest teen smiled weakly at Daiki. "Is this the same on good days for Cancers?"

Eyeing an exhausted and paranoid looking Midorima, Daiki lifted a hand and waved it from side to side. "Kinda. Good days without a item are iffy depending on where he is. Almost lost a foot when he got a heavy box on it." The four tossed mildly horrified looks at the shooting guard. "What's your item?"

"Camera plushy," Midorima said blankly, eyes a bit glazed. "Big, camera plushy that is not sold at my usual stores."

"Ah." Daiki looked at his phone again and began typing. "Hold on, don't move."

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _They got any huge plushy cameras there you can get?'_

She responded quickly, sending a picture of one that was the size of a food tray. He showed it to Midorima, eyebrow up questioning. The shooting guard nodded quickly, green eyes filling with relief.

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _Thanks, babe. Maybe Maji instead'_

It took a while before she replied.

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Choose seats that are in the back, please'_

Blue eyes narrowed before he typed in an affirmative. Looking up at Midorima and his team (because who else could they be?), he motioned to the side. "We're meeting Uxie at Maji. Only place that'll be okay with a huge plushy."

The tallest teen squinted at him warily. "It's not on another floor, is it?"

"Nah. Just a few shops thatta way." Daiki lead the way for the group and soon entered the restaurant with the guys on his heels. "Can I get your names, since ya already know mine?" As the group sat down, they did. Daiki dragged another chair over for Kasumi when she joined them, earning questioning looks, but ignored them.

Five minutes passed and they had ordered food (when he heard they hadn't had lunch yet, he'd just ordered for them).

"Aomine, do you know when your friend will get here?" Midorima asked carefully as he nibbled on a cherry tomato.

"Soon, I think," Daiki answered absently, tilting his head to see past Otsubo. "Uxie?"

The others turned to look.

Kasumi looked disheveled, her blue-green eyes wide and lips in a firm line. Her normally straight hair was ruffled and he thought he saw a leaf. Her sandals were in hand along with Midorima's item. In the other hand were two shop bags, one that was an oddly bright red and the other also from the camera shop. She had more rips in her jeans, borderlining improper, and her hoodie was rumpled. If he didn't know her any better, he'd say she was about to cry or shriek. Instead, she was pissed.

She walked over to them, silently passing the plushy to a bemused Midorima, putting the red bag slightly behind their, and setting her camera stuff beside her chair and dropped into it, folding her arms where she buried her face.

"You okay?" She twitched. "You get broken?

"Am I a magnet?" Kasumi asked, muffled.

Daiki tilted his head before he began snickering. "You ran into Kise again, huh?"

Kasumi lifted her head, scowling at him. She seemed to ignore Shutoku. "He keeps popping up! And he had his hoard with him!"

"Have you run into him before today?" Kimura asked and she looked at him, startled.

A slow nod, her eyes flicking to their faces, blue-green eyes zeroing on Midorima. "Not including the _Zunon_ building, yeah." Kasumi straightened and looked between Daiki and Midorima. "Does he have a radar for people he knows or something?"

The two Miracles shared looks. "Probably. Did you run through the Greenhouse Store?" Midorima asked as he motioned to her hair.

Seeing her frown in confusion, Daiki pulled the few leaves from her hair and Kasumi blinked. "Yes… that and the uh…." She cut herself off, face turning red. Ducking her head, she mumbled. They couldn't understand her.

"Would this have anything to do with afterwards?" Takao asked her curiously, holding up the red bag, peering into it with a red, bemused expression.

Kasumi made a dying noise and lunged for the bag, face turning darker as she squealed softly. Her elbow nearly went into Daiki's face and he grabbed her. "D-Don't open that!"

Takao leaned away and passed it to Kimura, who was across from him. The first year was grinning mischievously at Kasumi, who had slumped against the wall covering her face in mortification. "So what's the story?"

Kimura choked when he looked in the bag, covering his own face as he passed it around to Otsubo across the table. The tall teen eyed Kimura, Takao, and Kasumi warily and peeked in. His face went flat and he stared at Kasumi. "I thought only eighteen and older could get these."

"It wasn't by choice!" Kasumi hissed quietly, straightening and leaning onto the table, looking around nervously and lowered her voice more that made them all lean closer. "That damn blond chased me through the Greenhouse Shop and the sex shop was just right around the corner!" She flailed a hand at her jeans. "When I dove through the entrance, I didn't realize it until I got caught on a metal stand!"

Daiki began snickering and she kicked his leg. Otsubo seemed unimpressed, Midorima was slightly flustered and Miyaji, Kimura, and Takao were snickering. "That doesn't explain the dildo," Kimura murmured.

"Kise followed me into the store." Her lips stitched slightly, blushing dying down a bit. "He shrieked like a girl and the owner grabbed him before he could flee. The guy swindled him into giving him an autograph and picture. After Kise left, the owner gave me that. What the hell am I supposed to do with a dildo?!" Her voice squeaked as she flailed.

Daiki opened his mouth, smirking wider-

" _And if you say use it, I'll rip out your intestines and wear them like a scarf,_ " she growled at him in Spanish. He laughed despite himself. She looked like she was going to lunge at him.

Ignoring their byplay, Miyaji said, "You know there's a PO shop a few doors down." They looked at him in confusion and the blond sighed. "You could send it to Kise by using the mail system."

The group stared at him. Takao said plainly, "Senpai, that's terrible. Have you had an idea like that before?"

"How come I've never heard something like this?" Kimura wondered, staring at Miyaji in betrayal. Shutoku went on to be ignored by the private couple as the two stared silently at each other.

Kasumi tilted her head, questioning. He pointed over his shoulder with a thumb and nodded, her face lighting up. Sliding on her shoes, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and, after grabbing the red bag, rushed out of the restaurant. Daiki raised a brow when he saw Shutoku staring at him. "She's going with Miyaji's idea," was all he said and stood, heading over to the counter to place Kasumi's order to go, knowing she'd be awhile.

* * *

Blinking slowly, Kasumi squinted at Suzuki Amaya, a former senpai from Teiko. "Senpai, I get you're worried, but could you speak slower?"

Taking in a deep breath, the brunette second year sat back down at the table in the newspaper committee room and pressed her hands across the wooden surface. "Okay… my grandma is sick and I'm the only one available to help her, right?" Amaya glanced at Kasumi and the black haired girl nodded. "So I gotta go to Akita to help her for the next two weeks, but the basketball team's got the InterHigh coming up, which is my column, and I can't because I have to go to Akita. Everyone has the other sports tournaments to cover, so I was wondering if you and your kohai- Mitobe Chigusa-chan, right?- would videotape the games for me." Hazel eyes were full of hope as they gazed at Kasumi.

Said girl blinked and tapped the table, thoughtful. "Chi-chan usually does take time away from her club time to see her brother's games," she mused and focused on Amaya. "I think Rin-senpai could help, too. I know his coach usually gets the videos from the people. Will you need me to take pictures? I think their one center, Kiyoshi Teppei, has been replaced by Kagami Taiga."

"Please? I spoke with Yuki-senpai and he said as long as I could compile all the games I didn't see into one large article, I'd get the centerfold."

"As long as you only use my pictures." The girl then scratched at her cheek sheepishly. "Actually, to be honest?"

Amaya tilted her head as her shoulders relaxed. "What is it?"

"Recently, I've been wondering if I should become the team's manager. I've seen Aida-senpai rushing from the faculty areas to the gym and back trying to get things done, along with refilling the bottles and the towels. When they aren't playing, I could do that for her since the only columnist I've been assigned to is you." Kasumi leaned back and sighed. "I know Rin-senpai will worry less about her."

A hum of agreement. "Yeah, she's always working hard and is in the top of the class. You should go for it."

"Really?" Kasumi blinked at her.

"Of course. I don't mind sharing you. I think Yuki-senpai is going to assign me firmly to the basketball team, so I think it'll be good." Amaya paused, frowning. "Should we ask Aida-san?"

Kasumi toyed with her camera strap and glanced at the clock. "Yeah. Want to go now? I think practice is in session."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Rin's shoulders drooped in exhaustion as he wiped his face with a towel and accepted a bottle from Kawahara, offering the teen a grateful smile. The younger returned it before continuing to pass out the bottles, acting as manager for the day as Riko did paperwork in the office and the males practiced. Furihata caught his attention when the brunet motioned to the door.

"Hey, Fukuda, isn't that girl in our class?"

The team all turned to look at the girl residing in the doorway to the outside. He blinked and raised a brow at the nervously shifting girl. ' _Kasumi? What's she doing here?'_

Setting his towel down, he headed over to her and she glanced up at him, smiling crookedly despite looking like she wanted to run as she messed with her camera bag strap. "Hey, Rin-senpai, is Aida-senpai here?"

He nodded and motioned to the office, tilting his head inquiringly as they both moved towards the room.

Kasumi shrugged slightly. "Amaya-senpai's not going to be able to see your team's games, so she's asked me if I could take pictures and maybe get Chi-chan to videotape the games."

He made a few gestures and she nodded, relieved.

"That's what I thought, too," she sighed and glanced back towards the bench, brows furrowing. "The prelims start soon, don't they? Guess that means I'll apply for manager, too. Aida-san will be really busy…" Kasumi trailed off with a mumble and he smiled slightly before taking a drink from his bottle and opening the office door after knocking and receiving a "Come in!"

The black-haired girl bowed to Riko as she entered, the brunette looking at the curiously. Rin offered them a wave before shutting the door and heading back to his curious team.

Koganei bounced towards him, curiously leaning towards him. "Ne, ne, Mitobe, who was that?"

Rin didn't answer, instead smiling and shaking his head before finishing off his bottle and setting it back on the bench. Motioning to the court, they all groaned (Kuroko, he managed to notice, wilted) before following his suggestion and beginning practice again.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi followed her new supervisor, shuffling through the notes she'd gotten down on Shinkyo as they walked back to the gym. "You know, Aida-san, and this might just be my basketball inexperience talking, but these guys don't seem that good."

The older girl looked back at her, lip quirked up wryly. "You did see the tall exchange student, right?"

"Well, yeah. But if you've ever seen the GoM's center, you'd see he's more taller." Kasumi put her notes away and looked through her pictures of the teen, mainly Papa Mbaye Siki. "He may have long everything but Murasakibara-san is way taller."

Aida slowed, staring at the girl oddly. "You've seen the GoM?"

"I went to Teiko with them," she answered, carefully focusing on her pictures. ' _And I may or may not be dating their ace.'_

"Do you have any pictures?" Aida asked as she looked forward again.

"Uh… maybe? I wasn't in the basketball section much in Teiko, only the track and field when I got bribed. I think Chi-chan might have some videos, though…" Kasumi frowned in thought as they entered the gym. "We're back!"

Hyuuga glanced at them and turned to face the girls fully. "How'd it go?" He asked.

"We may have trouble with one of their players. Kasumi-san borrowed a video camera so we'll view the video later." Aida motioned to Kasumi and the girl rotated her camera so she could show the group first the close up of Siki, then the full-length picture. "Woah," Furihata breathed. "He's huge."

"The center from Teiko is larger," she told him absently as she took the camera back with a huff. "He didn't even seem to notice me taking his picture, and I had the flash on."

The males smiled or shook their heads at her, already knowing that she took pride in her work. Aida continued to explain and the senpai exclaimed in slight surprise. The new manager answered Izuki. "It's in Africa."

Kagami was rather blase. "He's just big."

Kasumi listened to the teens struggle through saying his name, snickering slightly when Kuroko bestowed him with a nickname of "Otou-san." Aida seemed done with the whole group as she barked out, "Enough, listen!"

They straightened to attention and Kasumi could only hide her smile behind her hand.

"He's not just tall, his legs and arms are long, too. Everything about him is big," Aida was serious as she crossed her arms. "More and more schools are inviting from abroad to increase their power. Shinkyo High used to be a middle-tier last year, but with Otou-san, they've become a completely different team. They can't reach high enough. Because of this simple reason, no one can stop him."

"We can't just do nothing," Kagami protested.

"Who said we would?" Aida smiled before focusing on Kagami and Kuroko. "Which is why you two have your own regimens to work on. The prelims start on May 16th, until then, you'll have no time to complain!"

"Hai!"

* * *

Kasumi observed Shinkyo from the bench, noting Siki wasn't there yet. She tossed a ball back to Furihata when it bounced to her, both looking towards the door when it opened and Siki walked in, rubbing his head after smacking it.

Tearing her eyes away from the foreign teen, she glanced at Aida. "Does Kagami-san know what to do?"

"Yes." Aida looked at her. "How about Kuroko-kun?"

"Hai." She glanced over at the blue haired teen, still unsure on how to feel about him. "I just hope he understood it more than me."

Aida patted her on the arm. "Don't worry. You'll get the terms eventually."

They shared smiles then the ref called for the players to get on the court. Kasumi got her bag beneath the bench and settled down to watch, making sure to jot down whatever Aida mumbled so they (the team) could look back on. She also had notes for what was needed to work on.

Aloud, she grumbled, "I thought they were supposed to focus on the game, not talk."

She heard Aida mention the plays from Rin to the other freshman, but focused more on the game since it wasn't about the actual game. Kasumi blinked when she saw Kagami block Siki. After Kuroko cut in a pass and Kagami dunked, the first quarter ended. Sliding her camera back into it's bag she moved to pass out towels and bottles. Aida spoke as she did. The second quarter began after she recollected the bottles and towels. Her camera back in hand, she had the speed and setting adjusted, the lens changed, her knee pressed against the bench to steady herself, and began clicking away, being extra careful to get photos of Kuroko (he kept disappearing but thanks to her always looking for something as a subject, she got some nice photos) and soon the game ended.

Kasumi eyed Siki after the game ended as he flailed in his captain's hand. "Weirdo." Rin patted her on the head, smiling down at her and she sighed. "I know, I know…"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

The next few days and games passed by quickly. Kasumi had asked Fukuda to help with the videotaping (after being threatened with her own camera breaking by Chigusa should anything happen to the girl's video camera - for a sweet girl, she could be terrifying) and they'd been sent to Amaya. The girl was already writing her article while exchanging emails with both Kasumi and Aida. She hadn't been able to spend time with Daiki, but she had grown slightly (emphasis on slightly) more comfortable with Kuroko. She was more comfortable with the rest of the team and the older girl had let her call her Riko during non-basketball times.

At the moment, after their latest game with Meijo, Hyuuga was explained about the three Kings of Tokyo. That was also the day where Shutoku would be playing Kinka and at the thought, Kasumi began digging through her bag her a piece of scrap paper and jotting down something, blinking when a marker was stolen, but it ignored it for the moment.

Kagami had already headed over to Midorima when Shutoku arrived. Smiling slightly at Rin as she slung her bag on her shoulder, she headed over to the rival school, just in time to notice Kuroko pop up beside her. She raised her brow, curious, before waving at Takao and Midorima and leaning towards them curiously as she cut in. "If strength is absolute, then how come Goliath was defeated by David? The future results don't always rely on past results."

The two males on her team stared at her, but went ignored as Midorima stared down at her. "I'm surprised you'd say that when you're dating him, nanodayo."

Her eyes darkened even as she smiled slightly. "It's because I'm dating him that I'll say it." She passed the scrap of paper to him. "This is for Miyaji-san, for the photos."

Takao promptly lunged for it and Midorima held it away from him, scowling. "Ehh? How come Miyaji-senpai is the only one to get it? That's not fair!"

Shaking her head, she glanced at Kuroko and Kagami. "Let's head to the balcony, I want to see them play. _Maybe even see them get squished by their seniors."_ The last part was said in Spanish as she shifted her shoulders.

" _Did you meet them somewhere else? 'Cause that's kinda mean to say, Tachibana."_ Kagami asked and she froze in shock, eyes widening as they landed on him.

"You know Spanish?" She squeaked out, stumbling.

He nodded as he lightly caught her by the back of her large sweater. "I lived in L.A. with Hispanics as my neighbor and my mentor was half. Had to learn if I wanted to know if I was being scolded or cheered on."

A strangled noise left her as the two boys lead her after their team. " _I've said so many cuss words near you lot, why didn't you say anything?!"_

"It was funny," Kagami said simply as he passed her over to Rin. " _Plus, I learned new insults."_

She sagged against Rin in a daze, eyes flitting down to the court. ' _I feel betrayed… and by my own tongue…'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

She snapped out of her daze when Riko began scolding Kagami. Her eyes moved to Rin. "It's Hakuryo next, right?" He nodded and she hummed, quickly moving to check she had both enough storage space and battery life, doing the same for Chigusa's camera. Kasumi idly noted that none of them had asked about her speaking to Midorima and Takao, relieved as she'd have time to come up with something to tell them (Rin didn't know either, but only because she'd asked Chigusa to not tell him, not wanting to earn the look of disapproval from him if he learned about what she'd sent to Kise).

* * *

The next day, the day before the semifinals and finals, the team spent their morning in the school. Kasumi had taken over one of the benches with papers spread out from Riko, sitting on the ground by it. At the moment she was squinting at Furihata with a thoughtful frown, eyes flicking between the notes Riko had made about the boys. She glanced at Kuroko's papers then Hyuuga's, glancing quickly at said teens and humming in thought as she adjusted her headphones, starting to jot down notes in her manager notebook. Kasumi was so caught in her notes she didn't notice Rin come up to her, flinching in surprise when he touched her shoulder. Blue-green eyes batted when she saw the team around her bench and paused her music and took her headphones off.

"Yes?" She said uncertainly, stretching a leg and shoving the cooler of bottles out from beneath the bench and towards them, the towels at the other end of the bench.

"Coach wants us," Hyuuga said as Rin helped her to her feet.

She began packing her notes up quickly. "Oh, the Seiho analyzation, right? I think I saw something when I was looking the videos over last night, but wanted to ask Riko-senpai about it."

"Really?" Izuki blinked at her as he picked up the towel carrier.

"Un." She glanced at Rin as they began walking to the club room. "Remember when Shina-chan joined cross and asked me to look different efficient running styles? One of them popped up in my head after watching the video."

"Can you tell us about it, even if you're wrong?" Furihata asked curiously, leaning a bit behind Tsuchida to look at her.

"Yeah, of course. The one I was thinking about is actually from old martial arts - and no, I don't mean the fake ones seen in movies, Kagami-san." The redhead closed his mouth, blinking at her in mild surprise. She shrugged. "I had the same response. Anyway…"

* * *

Ignoring the talking between the teams, Kasumi frowned at her phone, annoyed as she messaged back.

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Do you have some sort of man-crush on Kuroko-san? Or do I have a Kise-magnet?'_

She glanced up to check that Riko hadn't thrown herself at Tsugawa at the latest comment when her phone buzzed again.

 **From: Gold Piplup**  
' _I don't do it on purpose, Kasumicchi! It's not like I knew you became Seirin's manager! 'Sides, Midorimacchi's playing here too!'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _I can't wait until your birthday. I'm going to get so much blackmail.'_

 **From: Gold Piplup**  
' _Eh? Birthday? What?'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Shush. The game is starting. And don't think I didn't notice you avoiding my first question.'_

Ignoring the beeping, Kasumi followed her team to the locker room where it was rather tense. Pulling out her personal notebook, she spoke before Riko could do anything odd (she was going by the older girl's eyebrow twitching). "What're your guys' favorite foods?"

They stared at her.

"Favorite foods," she repeated tapping the paper. "I already know Rin-senpai's, but what about the rest of you? Riko-san, you too."

The teens in front of her shared looks before slowly providing answers and she wrote them down. "Alright. Whenever everyone is free, I'll have you all come to my house for a party."

"Kasumi-chan?" Koganei looked at her strangely.

She raised a brow. "Even if you guys don't get yourselves together now, you'll have something to look forward to when you win. You seniors have a lot to pay Seiho back for from last year. And I can tell you now, Amaya-senpai really wants the pictures of your smiling faces specifically for her article. Let's not let her down, yeah?"

The boys grinned and Tsuchida chuckled. "Free food and our pictures in the newspaper? Who wouldn't want that. Let's do this!"

"Seirin!" Hyuuga called out

"Fight!"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Glancing down at her notebook, Kasumi huffed slightly. "He's probably going to get another foul."

Koganei leaned slightly into her. "He's such a hothead."

Tapping her pen against the notebook, she began muttering beneath her breath. "Man-to-man defense, with no way for Kuroko-san to pass… you gonna call a timeout, Riko-senpai?"

"Yeah," the coach said absently and moved. Kasumi moved to grab the towels and bottles as the guys got off the bench.

She passed the bottles out as Riko spoke, kneeling in front of the bench. Her eyes moved over the five teens and pursed her lips, bristling as they all heard a loud, "Kasumicchi!"

Jerking her head up, she looked through the stands and felt her brow twitch as her eyes landed on the blond haired teen. Forcibly calming herself, she looked at Riko. "Do you think you'll need me at halftime?"

"Ah, no, not really." The brunette squinted at Kasumi's suddenly serene expression.

"Good, _that means I have time to punish that attention-needing piplup."_ She ignored the choked laugh from Kagami as the break was up and the boys went out on court again. She collected the bottles and overheard Kagami speaking to Izuki and Kuroko saying something after the black-haired teen said something else.

Then they were back on court, with Kagami being given the ball.

Kagami moved around Tsugawa, catching the bald teen off-guard and wound his way around Iwamura, dunking the ball through the hoop. Her face lit up and she lifted her camera, aiming it at the three seniors on court.

 _Click!_

' _Definitely to Amaya-senpai,'_ she thought as the game continued. A frown adorned her face as Kagami fouled a third time as time passed and her brow twitched when Tsugawa freaked over Kuroko.

"Seiho better rein in their brat before he gets strangled," she growled lowly and Tsuchida patted her head calmingly. Kasumi glanced over to check on the video camera and stood. "I'll go refill the bottles. If Kagami-san does something stupid, there's a spray bottle in my bag."

"Spray bottle?" Furihata wondered from behind her as she picked the bag of bottles and slid out of the gym, noticing they had Midorima benched on Shutoku's side.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

When she returned, the freshman duo was benched and all five seniors were on the court. Even from her position, she could hear Tsugawa and reached for a bottle. Kawahara removed the bag from her grasp, looking at her in exasperation. "Hitting him won't help anyone."

"Are you sure? Hyuuga-taicho looks ready to lay him out," she pointed out and they all blanched as the megane went into clutch mode.

"Ah," Riko breathed before motioning for the manager to sit down by Fukuda on the other end. Their attention focused once more on the game, her camera back in hand.

They went back and forth, right up until Koganei saved a ball and went over the bench. Kasumi was a bit stunned as she moved with Fukuda and Kawahara to get a mat and first aid kit. ' _Why does it seem like Seirin is injury prone?'_ When they came back, Kuroko was subbed in and Furihata stayed with Koganei as the game went on.

Seirin won, 73-71.

She eyed Koganei suspiciously as he bounced off to join the other seniors and Kuroko, Furihata copying her. "Should he even be bouncing around?" He muttered to her, clearly unsure, but unwilling to go against a senpai.

"No idea," she muttered back. "I should have signed up for the health committee or did some medical research if Seirin was this prone to injuries… I even missed punishing the piplup"

They shared exasperated, but fond looks and moved clearing out the court and headed to the locker room with the bags.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi passed out fish onigiri Chigusa had made for the team and the sports drinks, glancing around and checking the boys had their bags and miscellaneous. There were also the peanut butter bars she'd made from her grandfather's recipe that she passed around. Kasumi didn't know the massages Riko did, so she couldn't help there. She had to resort to dealing with the food, drinks, towels, and whatever else there was. Rin caught her before she could walk around the room aimlessly and pressed her camera to her hands.

Her eyes flicked to it and she quirked a lip up at him before looking through the pictures she'd taken. Times passed quickly and soon they had to go.

As the group left the locker room, Kasumi spotted Seiho and quickly dug through her bag, grabbing something. "Fukuda-san, hold this."

"Eh?" The brunet blinked and scrambled to catch the bag. "What-"

"Hey, Tsugawa-san!" The bald teen glanced back at her, his teammates copying him. Their coach had gone on ahead.

"Yeah? What-! Ow, hey! What are you doing?!" The teen squawked and flailed as she body slammed him, tripping him onto the floor so she could reach his upper torso with better ease and pulled the lid off the marker, squishing his face to her middle so she could draw on his neck. "Th-that tickles!"

Finishing, she let him lightly flop to the floor and stare at her in bewilderment. She offered the upper years a quick bow before jogging back to her team, beaming at her captain. "I thought a Koffing pokemon fit him," was all she said as she accepted her bag back from Fukuda.

Riko eyed her as Rin sighed. "You're secretly a troublemaker, aren't you?"

Kasumi beamed at her and Riko sighed, but a smile tugged at her lips as they headed back to the gym once more.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Hyuuga lead the pre-game talk and soon he, Kagami, Kuroko, Rin, and Izuki were out on the court. The manager has asked Furihata to take over her notes as she took pictures (her flash was off due to the lights above being bright enough). After switching for a new memory card and battery, Kasumi asked Riko, "Think any of Shutoku with tick us off like Seiho?"

The brunette chuckled despite herself. "We'll see."

Seirin got the tip off and Izuki ended up with the ball. He passed it to nowhere and Kuroko passed it to Kagami, an alley-oop, but Midorima blocked it. The teams were then stuck in a stalemate until four minutes in, when Midorima had a halfcourt shot. Kuroko and Kagami got him back though. Kasumi automatically took a picture of a shocked Midorima, blinking at her tiny screen. ' _That's… actually a good picture. Would Kuroko-san want it?'_ She shook the thought away and refocused herself.

"He's got Midorima on pause," Furihata noted.

"That's… good, right?" Kasumi looked at Riko, unsure.

"For the most part," she answered. "But that means the others will be in action."

Just as she said that Otsubo dunked the ball after getting it from Takao. Yet, Kuroko got the ball in his hands and passed it to Rin, who dunked. Her eyes lingered on Takao curiously. "Hey, Furihata-san, what're my notes on Takao, number ten?"

"Ten?" He repeated before looking through her notes. "Uh… he's got good technique, as a point guard he's got the dribbling and passing, and brilliant spatial awareness."

Taking a picture of Izuki, she looked at Riko. "You think he's like Izuki-senpai?"

The brunette tapped her foot on the ground, thinking, and got up to call a time-out. A hum left Kasumi as she moved to grab the towel and bottle bags, passing them out one handed to the regulars as they came to the bench.

Kagami requested, "Let us keep going like this, coach."

"You know your misdirection won't work against Takao-kun, right?" Riko questioned, staring at Kuroko.

A noise left Kasumi and they looked at her as she looked down at her camera screen, smirking slightly. "It won't work now," she agreed then smiled wider as she looked at Kuroko. "But what's more terrifying than a phantom that's been there for a while to suddenly disappear from sight?"

Blue eyes met hers in realization. "You think Takao-kun will become so used to me, he'll be thrown off balance by my presence disappearing abruptly."

"Exactly."

"What makes you think it'll work?" Koganei asked, glancing at Kuroko.

"I'm a photographer first and foremost," she reminded him. "I don't know how many times I've had the perfect shot outside then something will pop up in front of the lens, like my hair."

Glancing over at the referee when he called them back to court, Kuroko said, "I'll come up with something to keep his focus."

Putting the bottles and towels away, Kasumi glanced at the brunette when she hummed. "What's up?"

"Our play depends on Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun for the most part," she answered slowly and held something out to the girl. They looked at the tiny broken piece as she explained about last year after they lost. "Although… Hyuuga-kun's personality may have suffered a bit."

They could hear Hyuuga say, "Who cares about kings? Go die!"

Kasumi stared after him blankly. "A bit, she say."

Riko winced slightly. "He'll always make important shots," she offered sheepishly.

Settling a knee on the bench, Kasumi held the viewfinder up to her eye, snapping a picture of Kuroko making a steal, slightly relieved she missed Takao stealing it. Her eyes went wide as Midorima made a shot from a bit behind the halfway line. Blue-green eyes narrowed. "Is it just me or does the arc look funny?"

"What do you mean?" Riko asked, not looking away from the court.

"I don't know…" Kasumi frowned a bit deeper as Kagami shot from the outside then rushed in to dunk it, Otsubo unable to block him. Her eyes landed on Midorima and her heart skipped a beat. "Wait… was he holding back?"

The ball left Midorima's hands and slowly (it seemed) made its way to the hoop before swishing. The buzzer rang once, than twice as the first quarter ended. All the teens on the court headed back to the benches. Furihata passed out the bottles and towels in her place as she looked through her pictures, scowling absently as she tried to think. ' _They need to block Midorima-san, but how? If Takao-san can still see Kuroko-san, they probably won't be able to unless Kuroko-san figures out how to break free.'_

The game started up again and Seirin saw Shutoku kept passing to Midorima. And somehow, some time when Kasumi wasn't watching, a feeling to when Daiki was teaching her to play basketball and he got excited came over Kagami. She couldn't help the wariness from bubbling up, and glancing over to see Kuroko lower his gaze, Kasumi could tell he was worried, too. ' _Is this how he felt before Daiki fully blossomed?'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Halftime break, they were in the locker room, where it was slowly turning from being quiet and tense to a louder, more relaxed air as they listened to Kuroko make odd conjectures.

"What if they all get stomach aches?" Tsuchida proposed, tapping his chin.

"Do you want me to mess with their drinks?" She asked dryly as she leaned against the locker behind Rin.

Koganei laughed, crossing his arms behind his head. "You're a bit too awkward to even try it, Kasumi-chan. A comeback in the second half is way more realistic." She scowled lightly at him.

Hyuuga smiled and nodded in agreement. "For now, let's keep running and think after the game's over. Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

Kasumi saw Kagami had barely reacted.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Her camera was away for the moment so she could focus on Kagami, wondering what the feeling from earlier meant as Kagami faced down Midorima a second time since the third quarter began and the feeling came up again, like an intense feeling of something peering over the edge, but not actually doing anything. Kagami's brushed the ball as it left Midorima's hands… and it went off course. Otsubo rebounded it though.

The third time, Kagami prevented it completely.

' _If Kise-san copies, Midorima-san can shoot from anywhere, and Daiki has his animal instincts…_ ' She stared at Kagami's legs, wondering if she'd get an answer sooner or later.

The redhead was rushing to protect their basket from Otsubo, succeeding. Her eyes moved to Kuroko, seeing him frowning slightly at Kawahara's words. Hooking an ankle through the strap of her (not camera) bag, she tugged it closer and checked it, noticing her quarry near the top. As the game continued, she pulled it free and carefully stood up, moving behind the bench to press her hand reassuringly to Kuroko's shoulder as Shutoku called a timeout. "Let me deal with it." Was all she said as Furihata once more passed out towels and bottles (she really, really owed her classmates).

When Kagami began to say, "I'm the only one who stands a chance against Shutoku," She moved in front of him quickly with the item in front of her and-

 _ **Psht! Psht!**_

-sprayed him twice in the face, then a third time for good measure.

 _ **Psht!**_

She spoke serenely and casually as Kagami sputtered, staring down at him placidly. "A few days ago when I was looking up basketball terms-" they all knew she got mixed up sometimes so it wasn't too random to say "-I found a quote by an American basketball coach, Brad Stevens. "How good can we expect to be if our best player is not our best teammate?"" She raised the bottle when Kagami tried to open his mouth. "As I don't think you've looked up the Generation of Miracles up yet fully, let me drop a piece of trivia about them. The Miracles have mainly relied on themselves, which is why they are as strong as they are. The games I saw during the last year pissed me off, because the only ones they went not even half-power against were each other, trying to get the most points, and even then none of them cared about the actual winning part."

Kasumi paused to let that sink in as shocked realization formed on Kagami's face; she continued.

"They won the championship, but none of them were happy, as they knew it was inevitable that they'd win. If the team won on only _your_ power, who'd be happy then?"

"It's not like we want to lose," Koganei added and dropped a towel on Kagami's head, slightly aggressive as he wiped the water from his hair and face.

"There's no reason to do it alone," Izuki mentioned.

Hyuuga leaned forward and and raised a brow at the sheepish Kagami. "Do you have any objections?"

Kagami's peered out of from the towel cautiously. "No, but… well…"

"I'm sure Aida-kantoku has a paper fan if he does," Kasumi said idly and Kagami eyed her warily as she smiled placidly at him.

"I'd be happier if we won as a team," he admitted, ducking his head apologetically.

"Well, now that Kasumi's cooled Kagami down," Hyuuga blatantly ignored Izuki's "I'm the pun-master!" as he spoke. "The situation hasn't changed. What do we do?"

"Excuse me," Kuroko said, startling the girl at the suddenness and nearness. "There may be one thing we can do, but I will need to break free from Takao-kun and I think I've come up with something after what Tachibana-san said." She blinked at him as his eyes moved to hers. "You have seen my pass that very few can catch."

It wasn't a question but she nodded anyway, eyes widening a bit. "You think Kagami-san can?"

"Hai."

"We'll have to add wrist strengthening exercises to his regimen, then," she mumbled, turning to eye the redhead.

Riko was gazing at them in confusion, but was forced to ignore it as she looked over Kagami for how much he could do in the fourth quarter before the buzzer rang.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

The ten teens headed out to the court soon enough and Kasumi put away all the bottles and towels. The group settled into positions they favored as the game began again, Kasumi's camera in hand and her knee rested once more on the bench. Strangely, a good feeling rested in her chest, even if some parts made her heart skip a few beats. Her camera was mainly focused on her teammates, sometimes catching a picture of Shutoku when they were surprised or caught off guard by something. She was relieved she'd changed her battery and memory card again, like she'd done for the previous quarters. She'd need to buy more USB drives (and labels) to transfer them onto. Photographing continued until Shutoku called a time out.

Fukuda patted her on the shoulder before she could move, taking over her duties and she wondered what to get him, Furihata, and Kawahara. ' _Sweets, maybe?'_

Her picture taking continued when the game started back up. ' _Fifteen seconds… you guys can do it! I believe in you!'_ Her heart raced as she took a picture of the final three scored (she could tell Seirin was slowly winning over her heart and knew she wouldn't be able to cheer fully for Daiki if Touou went against her team).

Five clicks rapidly left her camera as she caught the lit up faces of Hyuuga, Rin, Izuki, Kagami, and Kuroko after the clock hit zero. More clicks sounded out as she caught the glee from the rest of her teammates and coach.

That completed, she carefully threw herself at Riko, cheering softly. "They did it! Our boys did it!"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Knowing from Momoi's complaining in the background that he wasn't on speaker Shintaro asked, "Did you know Uxie is their manager now?"

"Saah, really?" Aomine sounded a bit relieved. "'Bout damn time."

Shintaro blinked at the phone when the other teen hung up. ' _Does he not care?'_ Shaking his head, he shoved it out of his mind as he did not want to get caught up in their relationship, muttering to himself as he put his phone away. "Kise's nosiness rubbed off on me."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi peered at her seniors, Kuroko, and Kagami over Riko's shoulders, muttering, "Zombies?"

A startled laugh escaped Riko and she glanced at Tsuchida and Fukuda after looking Kagami over. "Do you two mind helping him to the nearest restaurant?"

They didn't mind, rather amused as they went to help the redhead.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi, spotting a head of blond hair and Kasamatsu Yukio across the table, rushed past Riko carefully as the brunet called out to the chef. "Piplup!" She cooed and laughed as she ran her fingers through Kise's hair, earning a flail.

"Kasumicchi!" He complained, swatting at her. Absently trying to smooth his hair back to normal, Kise pouted up at her. "What did you mean earlier by my birthday? Did you get me a gift?"

He stilled at the mischievous grin on her lips. "You'll just have to see, ne?" She waved at Kasamatsu who returned it, his cheeks red, but she wasn't fazed, knowing he was shy with girls. Glancing at her three helpers, she asked, "Where are we sitting?"

Fukuda lead her over to the table, sliding in first. Glancing past Furihata and Kawahara, she saw the seniors squishing together. "You know Kise?" The tiny brunet asked as he sat across from her.

Removing her shoes, she nodded as she settled beside Fukuda. "Yes, I'm an intern at Zunon for his photographer."

Furihata paused in deciding what to order. "When do you have time for that? I mean with the newspaper committee and basketball?"

"The weekends, usually," Kasumi answered, looking through her menu. "My boss, Miyuzu-san, normally has me adjusting his photos for the magazine."

"Oh," Kawahara said then looked at the other two. "Want me to do the mixing?"

"I can do the cooking part," Furihata offered and the two nodded at each other before slipping away from the table.

Kasumi and Fukuda stared after them then looked at each other, blank. "We could make small talk?"

"Sure," she cast an amused look after her classmates where they had the order and were coming back. The two smiled thankfully at Tsuchida when he put a water pitcher on the table, Fukuda moving it closer to the wall after pouring four cups.

"Did you go to Teiko, too?" He asked. Furihata and Kawahara glanced at her curiously as they set the foodstuff on the table, the duo sitting helping to move things around carefully.

"Yeah. All three years," she confirmed. "And before you ask, I barely interacted with anyone from the basketball group. I was usually assigned to the graphics area in the school newspaper or the track and field club."

"Really? But you're really good at taking motion shots," Kawahara said as he stirred the mix.

Kasumi blinked and smiled a bit wryly. "That's why I was usually sent to the track and field club when bribed. What about you guys? I know Kawahara-san was in basketball in middle school, but not you two."

Fukuda stared in longing as Furihata began cooking. "I was in the debate club and on the P. E. committee. We would have made it to nationals for debate, but our top debater was sick."

"Seriously?" Kawahara wondered. "Why debate, though?"

The tallest teen shrugged. "Two older brothers, need some way to shut them up when they get mean. Words put them down faster than wrestling."

She giggled as Furihata hummed. "I'd try that with my older brother, but I doubt it would work… I was in the health committee last year and in the biology club."

Fukuda opened his mouth to say something when the door opened, a familiar voice sounding out, and all of Seirin and the duo from Kaijo turned to see Takao and Midorima in the doorway. Furihata squawked in panic when grilling smell got a bit sharp and Kasumi swiftly put a tiny plate beneath a portion as he doled out the food to the three, Kawahara holding two plates.

They glanced up to see Takao beaming at them, Kasamatsu behind him, seeming resigned. Past them, Kasumi noticed Midorima sitting with Kise, Kagami, and Kuroko. "Mind if we join you?"

"Ah," Furihata glanced at them and they shrugged. "Hold on."

The new duo grabbed more cushions to sit down on as the four moved down, closer to the wall. Kasamatsu sat beside Furihata and Takao Kasumi. The group stared at each other before Kasumi broke the silence - literally. Chopsticks broken apart and in hand, she promptly began eating and eyed the two on the end curiously. "So, what are you two up to? Outside of basketball and exams. Significant others?"

Kasamatsu accepted a glass of water from Kawahara with a surprised thanks and glanced at her before dropping his eyes. His cheeks had turned a bright red at her question. "N-no significant others," he got out and the five first-years shared slightly amused looks at his embarrassment. "Ah… one of my favorite bands is selling a new CD."

"Which band?" Fukuda asked before biting into his food. Kasumi smiled slightly as she copied him, listening as they began discussing bands.

Takao reappeared with his own tray of food and began prepping it. Furihata looked at him warningly when it seemed like he was about to get exuberant with the mixing and the black haired teen wilted against her. "I didn't even do anything," he complained.

"Yet," Kasumi said absently, holding out her plate to Furihata and blinking wide eyes at him. The brunet snickered at her expression as he gave more to her, adjusting the grill for Takao, who promptly began cooking his dinner.

"We've only met once, yet you seem to know me so well," Takao drawled.

"Well, you're kinda like a mix between Kise-kun and Koganei-senpai. Just a bit… weirder." Seeing the trio looking at her, she jabbed a thumb at Takao as he flipped his okonomiyaki. "Met him at the mall, where one of his senpai, Miyaji-san, gave me a good idea for Kise-san's birthday gift." Kasumi and Takao shared wicked grins before Takao was forced to focus on his food before it burned.

"Wait for Kise's birthday," Kasamatsu said softly, smirking as he peeked at the blond. "It's July 18th."

Kasumi bounced slightly in her seat, beaming. "I'm going to get so much blackmail!"

The three teammates stared between the rather gleeful three and shared looks. "Wait till the 18th?" Kawahara offered.

The brunets nodded in silent agreement, eyeing their manager warily.

"Oh, which reminds me," he tossed an impish grin her way. "How's your boyfriend doing?"

"Snorlax?" She was startled, but easily caught herself, ignoring the curious looks from her teammates. "He's doing alright. What about you and Midorima?"

Takao blinked at her. "What?"

She blinked wide and innocent eyes at him. "Aren't you two dating?"

Furihata dove to rescue the food, Kasamatsu turning the grill off as Kawahara put a plate beneath the okonomiyaki. "I don't think Takao can recover from that burn," Fukuda said, staring at the rather crispy looking okonomiyaki.

The six jumped as Izuki suddenly yelled, " _I_ am the pun master!" He was jabbing a tiny spatula at Fukuda with a scowl and Kasumi burst out laughing at the bewildered teen.

"I made a pun?" Fukuda wondered in confusion. She wheezed into her palms.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Stretching her arms up, Kasumi looked at her phone and smiled slightly at the photo she managed to get of Midorima after he came back inside the restaurant after trying to leave the first time. Peering around for Kuroko, she spotted him and swiftly followed him. "Kuroko-san!"

He paused in heading into an alleyway. "Yes, Tachibana-san?"

"You can call me Kasumi, you know," she said as she showed him the photo and earned a faint smile. A noise in the alley caught their attention and she wondered closer to a cardboard box, passing her phone to Kuroko after turning on the flashlight app. "What the hell?"

 _Needs A Good Home_ was written horribly on the side of it and the two shared a look, Kuroko's eyes pissed as she scowled darker. Her hands quickly tugged the flaps open.

"Ruff!" They froze at the wide blue eyed puppy inside. Kasumi knelt on the wet pavement and moved slowly, picking up the puppy after he sniffed her hands and licked at her fingers. She straightened up and the two looked the dog over.

"He looks okay," Kuroko said slowly as he ran his free hand around the puppy's head, checking the face. "But…"

"Let's go back to the light," Kasumi said and the male lead the way, but not before she kicked the box further down the alley in anger. Kuroko's hand on her shoulder kept her from going back to it as they neared their team.

"Oi, you two…" Hyuuga began to yell at them when he spotted the dog in her arms. "A dog?"

""Needs a good home," the box said," Kuroko said coolly, turning her apps off and closing the phone. He put it carefully back in her bag, anger in his movements still.

"Rin-senpai, Shiro-kun still interns at the vet clinic, right?" Kasumi asked as they moved closer to the other teens.

The gentle giant nodded as he stepped closer, slowly petting the dog on his head as he pulled his phone out and messaged his younger brother.

"Oi, why are you all blocking the doorway?" Riko scolded and stared in surprise at the puppy. She swept closer quickly, pausing beside Kuroko as she stared at the puppy with a softer, cooing voice (the older girl seemed tempted to take the dog, but noticed how upset the two first years were). "Where did you find this cutie?"

Kuroko answered in stilted tones and Kasumi offered him the puppy, seeing how he seemed more interested in the male. The teen visibly calmed down when the puppy nosed his cheek and licked it. Kasumi blinked slowly, eyes flicking between boy and dog. "Eyes?" She wondered abruptly and Hyuuga let out a strangled laugh.

"We're keeping him, aren't we?" He asked rhetorically as Rin made a few gestures.

"His name will be Tetsuya #2!" Koganei crowed lightly as he pointed at the dog.

Kasumi giggled weakly at Hyuuga's flat expression as he stared at the brunet. She looked at Kuroko. "Rin-senpai said Shiro-kun is willing to look him over if we go to their place."

He nodded distractedly, brows furrowing slightly. "Kagami-kun," he called out, making them all follow his gaze. "Why are you over there?"

Crouching behind an electronic stand, the redhead turned to them, brows twitching. "Ah… well… I really can't stand dogs…"

They stared speechlessly, Kasumi muttering, "Nigou-chan isn't even a chihuahua."

* * *

Settled on the gym floor, Kasumi adjusted her skirt carefully even though she had shorts beneath it. Nigou was leaning against her side, having earned an all clear from Shiro, and happily chewing on a toy Kuroko had bought the puppy. A black stretchy and adjustable collar with basketballs on it rested on his neck with the tag naming her place. Looking on as the team played a practice game, she called out to Riko. "Hey, Riko-senpai?"

The brunet looked down at her, whistle hanging from her neck. "Yes?"

"Hyuuga-taicho is the only shooting guard we have, right?" Kasumi clarified and Riko nodded, a small frown coming to the coach's lips.

"We only have one?" Kagami asked from Riko's other side, eyeing the puppy warily. Nigou wagged his tail and he flinched away.

Riko stared at Kasumi, knowing she wouldn't bring it up for no reason. "You have an idea?"

"Well, Izuki-senpai and Furihata-kun are the ones we have per year," Kasumi tapped her notes. "But I thought maybe we could do a repeat from your first year."

The older girl stared blankly. "Explain, please."

"Kuroko-kun has the observation skills of a point guard, like Izuki-senpai and Furihata-kun, along with the passing. What if we had Furihata-kun become the first year shooting guard, while still possessing the skills of a point guard?" The younger girl explained.

"Teppei was our center under the net," Riko murmured, tapping her lips. "Let me speak with Hyuuga-kun and Furihata-kun about it. He'd be the one to teach Furihata-kun and it involves him in question."

Kasumi nodded and patted Nigou on the head when he yipped.

"You know, for not really knowing all the basketball terms, you used those ones pretty well," Kagami said as he edged away.

"Really?" A small smile made its way onto her face. "Guess my newly made dictionary is helping, then."

* * *

Kasumi followed a mischievous Kagami with her own grin, weapon in hand. Both were in shorts and he had a tank top on while she had a sleeveless hoodie, not unlike the one she had worn when first meeting Daiki face to face. Her hair was held back in a braided ponytail.

"Tachibana, I hope you're prepared for the hell you're about to unleash on our teammates," he said and smirked at her. "I mean, we were supposed to only get drinks."

"Kagami-kun, I'm sure you've noticed, but you've been really twitchy since Riko-senpai benched you. This way, you can simply stand in one place. Just make sure you don't end up in the pool." At that, he paused and pulled his phone from his pocket to give to her. She accepted it with confusion, blinking up at him as it went into her leather bag (where her camera resided safely).

He shrugged. "Just in case."

She shook her head as they neared the doorway after continuing. "You're ridiculous. Aren't those the only clothes you have?"

"I saw dryers in the locker room." A startled laugh left her as he began pumping before they were in view of the door. Reaching a good amount, he gave her a two fingered salute before diving through the doorway, screeching an English war cry that had her collapsing in the doorway with laughter, bag of weapons falling beside her.

" _PAY FOR THE SINS OF YOUR CHILDREN!"_

The startled teens in the water turned to stare in shock and Koganei howled as Kagami shot him in the chest with the water gun.

"Kagami?!" They yelled and the redhead cackled maniacally as he aimed for Fukuda, who barely managed to get under the surface. It still hit him.

Two pairs of legs appeared in front of her and she followed them up to see Riko (looking very unimpressed in her slightly modest swimsuit - she looked adorable) and Momoi Satsuki (looking a bit concerned and rather pretty in her swimsuit) staring at her.

"Really?" Was all Riko asked and Kasumi motioned to the extra guns. Riko stared at them flatly.

"They were on sale," Kasumi said sheepishly. "I'm weak against sales."

She stood leaning weakly against the door frame as she grinned at the chaos in the pool then at the two girls. "You two up for winning?"

Momoi chuckled. "You're not what I expected," the girl said quietly. Kasumi and Riko looked at her curiously. "I thought I'd find an introvert of a photographer, one who preferred being on her own."

"Maybe two years ago. But then I met my Snorlax of a boyfriend and my overly pushy kohai forced her way into my life." She grinned at the two girls in front of her as the bag of guns were picked up and held out to them. "They didn't want me in my pokeball anymore."

They stared at her and Riko chuckled as she took a water gun. "I can't see it," she said, checking the water level. "I mean, you've got the awkwardness of an introvert, but you mesh well with the other first years. Momoi-san, if we, and Kagami-kun, are going to win, you might want to zip up your jacket. Don't need you being overbalanced."

The pink haired girl stared at the two in surprise, then beamed, accepting the last gun as her own water gun after doing as the oldest girl said. "Of course." Her eyes gleamed mischievously. Pumping the guns, Kasumi set her bag behind the farthest bench and aimed at Rin.

She laughed at the flat look she got as he turned to stare at her. "We're gonna win!" She called out, rushing to join Kagami on the other side of the pool, making sure not to slip.

"We'll see about that!" Koganei yelled as he began splashing at them.

Practice forgotten, the four out of the pool waged war. Hyuuga had slid out of the pool to put his glasses on her bag before tackling Kagami into the pool, leaving the three girls out. Momoi went after the freshman trio for the most part, unable to find Kuroko. Riko went after Hyuuga and Tsuchida while Kagami got Izuki and Koganei. Kasumi went after Rin and Kuroko after realizing only she could really tell where the blue haired teen was thanks to her always focusing for a camera shot. She never really how pouty he could be after not really moving a facial muscle. Rin promised silent payback for whenever she'd go to his house next. From the corner of her eye, something, rather someone, moved and she called out to Momoi, who was nearest to her after they had moved around. As one they turned on the person and sprayed, freezing in shock and mild panic right after.

Daiki stood in the doorway, eyes scrunched close after being hit in the face with two water guns. Kasumi stared wide eyed at him as the pool fell silent and he slowly opened his eyes, looking first at her, then Momoi. Completely and fully unimpressed.

"A-ah… Aomine-kun," Momoi greeted weakly.

His brow twitched. "Satsuki… you can find someone else to walk with tonight. You… I hope you fall…" Kasumi wheezed slightly, nervously sharing a look as Daiki left.

"Oops," Momoi whispered weakly.

"Is it bad that I wish I had a camera of some kind?" She whispered back and they burst into hysterical giggles.

Riko sighed as she realized they'd have to start practice again and blew into her whistle lightly. "Momoi-san, go get changed. Kagami-kun and Kasumi-chan will make sure get home okay. Kuroko-kun, don't even think of leaving."

"Hai…" the phantom responded desolently and the girls began laughing again as Nigou barked in agreement.

* * *

Daiki barely managed to prevent himself from hitting Wakamatsu when his phone went off, Kasumi's call chime dinging.

" _You've caught a pokemon!"_ It claimed in English, making the blond holding his collar falter in confusion. Sliding free, Aomine drawled, "See you later," and disappeared swiftly, pulling his phone from his pocket as his magazine hung at his side. "What's up?"

"Is your face okay?" She promptly asked. "I mean, I know I asked yesterday, but-"

He snorted. "Uxie, it was just water from water guns. Not even high powered ones like from a Starmie. I'm fine." A small laugh left him as he wandered off campus before Satsuki could come after him. "I'm glad you're okay with Satsuki, even if it's at my expense."

A soft laugh left her. "I'm glad, too, if a little surprised. By the way, would you know anything about Kagami-kun practicing when he wasn't supposed to?"

A wince crossed his face. "I just wanted to see his light," he tried weakly.

"Hmm… Riko-senpai made him walk on his hands to get a heating pad," her voice was dry. "Anyway, I called to say that the team's going to be taking up my time until the games. We'll have to deal with texts or bribing Chi-chan to play messenger."

"We don't have the money for bribes." He sighed. "How about pictures?"

"Doesn't Momoi-san get into your phone at times?

"... I really need to change my password."

"Ahomine…"

"Rude."

* * *

Kasumi, Furihata, Fukuda, and Kawahara checked one more time that they had everything at the bench and she waved them away. "Everything is here, assist the others," she told them as she pulled her camera out and checked both battery and card space.

"Hai!" They moved to the court, speaking with Kagami, Kuroko, and the seniors.

Blue-green eyes narrowed as she looked at Kagami's legs and not for the first time envied Riko's ability to scan people. A glance into the stands showed Chigusa and the newly returned Amaya, the former with her camcorder and the latter with her folder. Chigusa made an 'X' with her arms and she frowned. ' _Daiki, you idiot… where are you?'_

Her gut clenched and she looked at the court. The photographer had a feeling this game wasn't going to go as anyone really expected, not even Daiki.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

As the first quarter went on, her face became a blank mask. ' _I knew they didn't have teamwork, but to this extent… I think I want to hit them.'_

A slow breath left her. Her camera clicked as both Kuroko and Kagami jumped and landed. Vibration at her hip in a specific pattern told her Kise was there. ' _5,000 yen says Midorima is here, too.'_ She didn't look away from the court.

The female manager from Teiko came to mind and she sighed. "Kantoku, I believe Momoi-san did what she does best on us."

"Hmm?" The brunette sounded annoyed.

"She analyzed Seirin."

Riko hummed. "Yes… but that's past information. Humans grow."

"Yes… but Momoi-san thinks ahead and in patterns," she said as she looked to her frozen coach. "They know a lot more than we think. She takes everything she has and puts it through the wringer until she gets what she needs."

"But do they know everything about Kuroko?" Furihata asked and she blinked at him. "I mean, he's been opening slowly to us and he's kind of like a wall."

"I don't know," she said quietly.

The first quarter ended and the four freshman moved to pass things out.

"Be careful either way. It's because they have little data on you two that Momoi-san will know you two will be used," Kasumi warned and let her eyes flick to the girl in question.

"She's right," Kuroko said, looking at her then at Riko. "But we have to try anyway."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

The second quarter began and Daiki still wasn't there. Her lips pursed as she ran through the few photos from the first quarter quickly and frowned, holding the camera to Riko. "Do you see it?"

Riko glanced at the camera screen and jerked her head up, eyes wide as sweat began to bead her temple. "Koganei-kun," she addressed the boy on her other side. "This is an emergency, prepare to sub for Kagami-kun."

Brown eyes wide, he nodded and did so. "Furihata-kun, get the tape ready," Kasumi said, getting up for a towel.

She shoved it at Kagami, eyes warning him not to argue before refocusing on the game, camera up. Her hip pressed against his shoulder comfortingly and he quirked a lip up at her weakly. They looked at their coach as she apologized to the redhead.

"Even with Tachibana, you do too much, kantoku." Kagami stopped, cutting himself off and realizing how sappy he sounded. His face averted fully to the front. "I mean, sending me off with an apology hardly amps me up."

Those on the bench shared grins and Kasumi silently took a picture (because come on, awkward Kagami was adorable Kagami).

"You're a brat, Bakagami." Riko stood up and smiled after him. "Go get them!"

"Seirin, member change."

"That's it, show some spirit so you can entertain me, even a little." Blue-green eyes widened in surprise before the blank mask took over as Daiki looped an arm around Kagami's neck.

Kasumi loathed the asshole act he was forced to put on.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

It wasn't obvious who didn't really know him, but Daiki avoided Tetsuya on court.

He didn't do it to be mean, but it was so he could avoid saying something he didn't mean ( _envy burned quietly in his veins, seeing his shadow_ ( **best friend** ) _having someone else as his light_ ). He knew how harsh he could be and so avoided talking to both Tetsuya and Kagami despite wanting to be completely unbearable. Because after never saying it out loud, both he and Kasumi knew he wanted the Miracles relationship to be how it had before, just like Tetsuya and Satsuki wanted, too.

And when he won ( _he always, always, always_ _ **won**_ ), Daiki didn't want them to lose their passion like he did.

Navy eyes drifted to blue-green as halftime began before drifting away.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi eyed the unsliced lemons warily before quietly exchanging them with the peanut butter bars Amaya helped her to make (a double batch) and the homemade juice Chigusa made.

Riko wilted in the corner as the regulars replenished themselves.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

The moment he stepped from the hallway from his warm-up, he locked eyes with Kasumi through her dark bangs. She still had the blank mask on, the only way she'd keep everything hidden. ' _Which one?'_

He tore his eyes away an looked into the stands, finding Chigusa quickly. The middle schooler locked eyes with him easily and nodded. Rolling his shoulders and dropping his towel onto the bench, he continued to the court.

(A soft rumble left the beast and he wasn't sure if it was of curiosity of being challenged or mere grumpiness at being bothered)

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

The feeling from before appeared again, only this time from Daiki, filling the air. The hair on the back of her neck rose and it took all she could to simply breath through it. At her side, Kuroko tensed further, wanting to get back in the game. She could feel it where their sides were pressed together.

' _We aren't strong enough for what Daiki calls the "_ _ **beast**_ " _... Seirin won't win… and he wants me to keep close with Seirin afterwards…? Idiot! You had my heart first!'_

A silent, shay exhale left her and she squeezed Kuroko's forearm lightly; he leaned into her.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Minor taunting phrases left him automatically, unable to help himself.

Some of his formless shots were taunting the opponent, having never seen anything like it.

Was it because of how fired up Kagami was?

Daiki couldn't tell at all.

"The only one who can beat me is me. You can't do it on your own."

 _(His blood sang in his veins, telling him Kagami could beat him -_ _ **but it wasn't that day just yet**_ _)_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

20 points behind, Daiki asked to see the new light and shadow duo, see their strength.

 _(There was the shift of the head, eye glinting as it peered)_

It wouldn't be enough.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

His eyes lingered on Tetsuya but he walked away before the bitter words could leave his tongue.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Nothing's wrong with the taping!" Daiki furrowed his brows slightly, observing carefully as Kagami protested about being benched.

"Kagami."

The court stilled, the words like a chilling wind as Kagami stilled, staring at the speaker. The atmosphere grew eerie. Blue-green eyes resembled turbulent ocean waves, a darker blue than before.

 _(An image overlapped the girl his blood sang once more at the sight; the beast rumbled in pleasure as it settled into its slumber again)_

"Sit on the bench or be benched for the rest of the year." Her words made the redhead falter even more. "Your disrespect will not be tolerated."

(Her expression dared Kagami to try something)

Kagami sat on the bench after Seirin's coach didn't refute her manager''s words. A towel was dropped on his head.

The court was able to move again after the tense moment was over. Kasumi was angry and Daiki chose not to risk her ire, knowing she could be dangerous (their last year was quiet as Haizaki took to the background, avoiding blue-green eyes) and made sure to keep himself in check.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Seirin fought, never giving up until the end. Aomine Daiki avoided Kuroko Tetsuya, never once letting a word slip free in the fourth quarter again. Touou doubled the score.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Daiki sent the affirmative to meet up with Chigusa at the south entrance of the building, his back to his team. Then one of the benchwarmers began talking crap on Tetsuya and he moved, bag thumping against his side.

 **Bang!**

"What gives you the right?"

"Aomine!" Wakamatsu yelled, but he didn't move away as his eyes glinted dangerously, looming further over the startled teen.

 _(The beast rumbled, tail flicking in the dark)_

"What gives you the right to say stuff like that… when you're just a mere benchwarmer?"

The teen was silent, eyes wide with fear.

"That's what I thought." He stepped away and dropped his arm, the teen wilting like a weed. His eyes connected briefly with the coach, then he left.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

The hall by Seirin's locker room was darkened, so Kagami didn't notice Kasumi when he left the room. A breath in. He still pissed her off, disrespecting Riko right after he praised her. Kasumi shook it to the side, already knowing Amaya would be planning a sleep over at Kasumi's when the four girls were free. She moved quietly to open the door, stepping inside and closing it. The girl stepped closer and sat beside Kuroko, who didn't look at her. She loosely wrapped her arms around him and after stilling, melted into her arms, face buried into her arm. Kasumi held him until they were forced to leave.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Seirin ended up losing the chance to enter the Inter-High.

* * *

Kasumi cuddled Nigou as Koganei and Tsuchida squabbled over stopping Kuroko. Her eyes kept drifting to the empty places Kagami was usually in.

Riko called for them so she could speak about the Winter Cup and Kiyoshi Teppei coming back, adding in a threat about winter being cold.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Tachibana stayed with him after practice, uploading pictures to put on separate USB drives for Suzuki from the stage. Nigou was on her lap, dozing with a stuffed pokemon (he thought she called it an umbreon).

Tetsuya looked at the ball in his palms then shifted and tossed it towards the hoop. It bounced off disappearing behind him and he blinked his eyes slowly. A sudden flash and a yelp made him turn around, spotting a tall brunet holding a bag of candy rub his eyes with a free hand.

"What is wrong with you, Kiyoshi Teppei?!" Tachibana cried out, her camera in hand. "Are you a Gastly?"

"Tachibana-san," Tetsuya called and she looked at him, eyes still startling wide. "Breathe."

She did, climbing from the stage to hover beside him with Nigou in her arms, her camera remaining on the stage.

The older teen chuckled as he blinked down at them. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He looked at Tetsuya, head tilting slightly. "They were right about you, the only thing you can do is pass."

It was true, Tetsuya knew, and it didn't offend him, but it did Kasumi, who began eyeing Kiyoshi like she had with the Touou team. He removed the umbreon from Nigou's paws and shoved it in her face, blatantly and placidly ignoring how the tail nearly went into her mouth. Looking back at Kiyoshi, whose face has become slightly bemused, politely asked, "Was there something you needed?"

Tachibana wiped the toy against his face as Kiyoshi answered, and the two boys traded words, the lone girl stepping closer. A soft noise left her when Kiyoshi attempted to dunk, but simply bounced off the rim.

"Senpai," she said abruptly, making the brunet turned to her.

"Yes?"

Her face flat, she pointed down. "Watch where you step."

"Eh?" The followed her finger. "Ah! My candy! Thank you, tachibana-chan. See you three next week!"

They watched him leave quietly.

"He's a weirdo" she said decisively.

"Tachibana-san, that's rude," he chided lightly.

"..."

"... maybe."

"Hmp."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi stuck a cherry rock candy stick in her mouth, watching wryly as Kiyoshi challenged Kagami for a starting position.

"Kagami-san's going to win," she noted absently and the teens by her looked at her in confusion.

"What makes you think that, Kasumi?" Hyuuga asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"Mmmm…." Her eyes hooded, brow twitching in annoyance. "Kiyoshi-san is a weirdo."

The teens drooped in confusion before turning back to watch. Kagami won and headed out first. She threw Nigou's umbreon at him, the plushy bouncing off his head. "Are you stupid?"

Picking up the toy, he looked at her in innocent confusion. "What?"

Her brow twitched again and Hyuuga patted her head. "Nevermind, Kasumi, I see it. Kiyoshi! Look at your feet!"

Wandering away, Kasumi rubbed her forehead. 'Rin-senpai didn't say he was this weird…'

"Tachibana-san, don't you think your being harsh?" Kuroko asked and made her twitch.

A sigh left her. "Maybe," she admitted. "But something about Kiyoshi-senpai drives me up the wall. Actually…" She trailed off, looking back at the brunet. "He kind of reminds me of my mom."

"Your… mother…"

"Forgetful of things and does random sayings." Kasumi nodded to herself then scowled. "Anyway, don't expect me tonight."

"Why would I?" Kuroko asked flatly. "It's not like you've been sneaking into my bedroom or anything for the past week."

Kasumi grinned and bumped her shoulder. "Take care of our baby, yeah? Don't give him anymore bacon pieces."

"I will spoil _my_ child however I wish. Shoo."

She snickered as she bounded over to Riko when the older girl called for her, privately pleased she was growing more comfortable with the teen. _'Bet Daiki will be happy with that. Ah… he owes me a couple dates, too...'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Junpei paused in grabbing the coffee can from Kiyoshi, blinking. "Kasumi?"

"Eh?" Kiyoshi followed his gaze.

The manager was dressed in shorts and a loose shirt, the tank top strap showing. She was flailing at the former ace of Teiko (also dressed in shorts and a tank top) who was batting back at her one handed while the other held a basketball. Kasumi seemed annoyed.

"Who's that? Her boyfriend?" Kiyoshi asked as they stepped out of the light as the other duo came closer, not noticing the seniors.

Aomine her by the arm and squished her to his side, kissing her forehead and laughing at her exasperation.

"Ah… apparently…" Junpei wondered why she hadn't mentioned it during the game, but seeing her eye Aomine grumpily, decided to put it off for a while.

* * *

Watching the first years play in the practice game, Kasumi looked over at Hyuuga. "So you've taken Furi-kun as an apprentice, then?"

"Ah. He's kind of like Touou's SG, which is why I had him watch the apologetic mushroom's play." He ignored Kiyoshi's confusion.

"Did it help?"

"A little. He wants to try scoop shots, like Kasuga from Seiho, but I told him to try first in practice. He's also looking up other school's shooting guards."

"Hmm…" Her eyes moved to the teen in question.

"By the way, Kasumi, I wanted to look at your notes, if that's okay."

She paused and looked at him sheepishly. "I'll have to translate for you…"

The megane looked at her as Riko laughed. "What?"

Riko answered, ignoring Kasumi's sheepishness. "She uses pokemon to describe people."

Hyuuga stared between them and sighed.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Bouncing the ball in hand, he watched as the manager moved around the court absently to pick up basketballs, dropping them in the mobile crate when she moved by it. Junpei had no idea how to ask his question and didn't really know how to really address any girl that wasn't Riko.

"Hey, dad!" Kasumi suddenly called out, smiling at the spot to his right and he flung the basketball at the backboard, staring at Kuroko in shock.

"When did you get here?!" He looked at Kasumi. "And why'd you call him dad?"

"He's Nigou-chan's dad," she replied as she dumped a few balls into the crate, looking between them oddly. "I'm gonna go get some juice so you two can talk."

"Thank you, mom," Kuroko said, slightly dry. Kasumi snickered as she left the gym. He looked up at Junpei and the megane eyed him carefully.

He listened to the teen as they spoke to each other and felt his eyebrow twitch. ' _All these first years are getting uppity…'_

Junpei flicked Kuroko on the forehead. "You don't come to me a lot, but don't get ahead of yourself, moron! Replace you as a starter? Think of the guys on the bench! It's not your place to say that!"

"But-"

"I said no." Junpei eyed him. "Do you know what position Kiyoshi plays?"

Kuroko blinked at him. "Center."

"He's also the only one who can do it. He also makes a pretty good point guard…." Junpei went on to explain about the beginning of the club. "Furihata, if you haven't noticed, is also beginning to become a shooting guard to his point guard position. Has Riko not spoken to you about that yet?"

At seeing Kuroko furrow his brows, Junpei realized she hadn't and sighed.

"Kasumi mentioned you could be the point guard for the first years if Furihata took on the shooting guard position. If Kiyoshi can balance being center and point guard, Furihata can, too." He paused, eyeing Kuroko. "But is that really all you can do? I'm sure Kasumi or Riko can help you with developing other basketball skills. Or even Mitobe's little sister. Anyone of us can. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to and if you really think you can't do it, at least tell Kagami. He believed in you…"

The younger teen was quiet and Junpei turned to grab a ball, intent on letting it sink in for the moment. "Just how awkward can he be? Jeez."

"Excuse me. Thank you." Kuroko's steps sounded, like he was running and he was as Junpei looked after him.

"You sure you don't need anything else?" Junpei called and Kuroko replied in the negative.

The door opened again after Junpei made a basket and he looked to see Kasumi, Nigou by her feet. She held three cans in her arms. Blue-green eyes blinked at him after looking around the gym. "Did Kuroko-kun leave?"

"Yeah."

"Ah… so, Hyuuga-taicho," she tilted her head as she tossed him a can. "What'd you really want to speak about?"

Catching the can, he stared at her then chuckled. "Should have known you'd see past my excuse."

"Be blunt," Kasumi suggested as she walked closer Nigou bouncing over to his feet. "It's something that gets farther with me than stalling."

"Are you dating Touou's ace?" He asked, following her suggestion as he crouched and patted Nigou's head.

"How did you find out?" She asked, bristling. "Was it Takao?"

"Kiyoshi and I saw you two yesterday," Junpei clarified after taking a sip. "Who else knows?"

"No one from Teiko aside from Midorima and Kise. Kise because he saw Aomine pick me up and Midorima needed a lucky item from the camera store. Their teams, too. Uh." She took a sip, looking thoughtfully upwards. "Amaya-senpai and Chigusa-chan. I think Shiro-kun, Rin-senpai's little brother, knows but he's too hard to ask. That's… it, I think."

"Why haven't you told Kuroko?" Junpei asked curiously.

Kasumi hesitated. "That's kind of complicated. I didn't at first because we never talked before, not even during Teiko, so just saying, "Oh, hey, I'm Daiki's girlfriend," would have been weird. Now… I don't know. Might be a bit terrible sounding, but I'd rather the rest of the Miracles and Momoi-san find out by accident."

"You'd have to explain if you did," he noted as he straightened.

Her lips quirked up. "Exactly. And both Daiki and I are rather lazy when it comes to that."

"Snorlax?"

"Mm. And I'm his Uxie. Weird, but it works."

"I can tell from that silly smile on your face," he teased before growing serious. "By the way… How're your cooking skills?"

She blinked in confusion. "Cooking?"

* * *

"We face potential danger," Hyuuga informed them.

Kouki blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Fukuda asked in confusion.

"Coach may be cooking for our camps. I'm sure you saw her lemons from Touou's game." They paled.

"It's inedible?!" Koganei screeched slightly and Kouki grabbed Kuroko's shoulder when the smallest teen swayed.

"Yes, and if Kasumi isn't able to-" Hyuuga was cut off.

 _ **Bang!**_

They flinched, whirling towards the doorway. He vaguely recognized the girl in the doorway as Kasumi's senpai, Suzuki Amaya.

"Never fear, boys, your heroes are here!" She crowed exuberantly.

"You say that now, but would we still be heroes if Riko-senpai had been here?" A dry, feminine voice drawled and making Suzuki freeze, sweat building along her face.

"Ah…" She sidestepped sheepishly, eyeing the gym warily, to let Kasumi and the unknown girl come in.

The unknown, in a middle school uniform, raised a hand in a wave. "Yo, Rin-nii. We're here to help Riko-senpai cook for you guys."

"You agreed?" Hyuuga asked, relief filling his face.

"Of course." Kasumi grinned as she held up a faded notebook. "And we've come up with recipes, we just need taste testers for the first round."

"First round?" Kiyoshi repeated and Kasumi beamed beautifully as Suzuki and the younger Mitobe smiled sweetly. Kouki felt like crying, and apparently, so did Fukuda and Kawahara as they shared looks.

"Yeah! If we went down during the first round, who'd help Riko-senpai with you lot? The first round is curry!"

* * *

Daiki found himself hiding in the underpass when Kasumi was with her team for their training camp, dragging Chigusa and Amaya with her ("Because I can't watch over both the boys and Riko-senpai cooking - I'd lose it"). They'd be back around the time his game against Kise would be and couldn't help grinning at the thought of playing against the blond.

On the third day, she finally called.

"Yo, Uxie," he greeted as he sprawled on their sleeping bag with a faint wince.

"Hey," Kasumi replied and he shifted and arm under his head.

"What's wrong?"

"Shutoku is here and Riko-senpai keeps preventing Kagami from playing in the practice games for his own training." A low, heavy sigh. "And it's taking all three of us girls, plus Rin-senpai _and_ Kagami-kun to make sure she don't use protein powders in the food. We've taken to hiding them in Nakatani-kantoku's room with his permission, but she still keeps getting them somehow and _we have no idea how_."

Daiki huffed lightly before blinking. "Kagami?"

"He lives on his own, too, so he knows how to cook, thank Arceus."

"Hmm… does that make him good house husband material?"

"..."

"You can't say you haven't thought of it…"

"Shiro-kun does have a thing for hot headed people…"

"Double dates?"

"We don't even know if he's gay or not, Snorlax."

"... so? Let's double date, anyway."

"Ugh… we'd have better luck with Midorima-san and Takao-san…"

"They're dating?"

"From what I've seen of them, they have enough UST to jumpstart an accidental orgy with their team."

"... it's in my head now, dammit. Seriously, Uxie?!"

"I was never a pervert till you got your idols in my head… speaking of head, which one were you speaking about?"

"Stop it! I'll take you to the Pokemon center Mega when I can, so stop it!"

* * *

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Is Mewtwo at the arena?'_

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _Dunno, haven't seen him; Steelix is. Wasn't able to do much than nod, though.'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Should I mess with him?'_

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _Maybe after? I mean, Chigusa and Amaya got to go home right? So you'll need to watch the kids.'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Does that make Riko-senpai the mom? Don't answer that. We're almost there, play safe, don't let the UST get too high.'_

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _STOP IT.'_

Kasumi giggled as she slid her phone away, nodding at Hyuuga's raised eyebrow when he glanced back at her.

"Snorlax?" Furihata asked her curiously and she nodded.

"Yup, he's at the arena."

"Eh? He play or something?" Kawahara asked.

"You said you met at Teiko?" Fukuda added.

Kasumi and Furihata shifted in their seats to look back. "Or something. And we did. About… the beginning of the tournaments for the middle schools, I think. Some time in June of our second year."

"How long have you two been dating?" Fukuda leaned a bit closer, dropping his arms on the top of the seat.

"Hey, hey, isn't that too nosy?" Furihata cut in, frowning worriedly at her.

"It's fine, Furi-kun," she said as she flicked her phone open again, searching through her agenda. "It's… huh. The day of the Winter Cup."

The bus slowed and came to a stop. The team gathered up the stuff and headed off.

"Wow. That's going to be a weird anniversary, huh?" Fukuda asked.

"Yeah… hey, since we're here, I'm going to call him." The three nodded and stepped away a bit, dialing.

" _Hey."_ Daiki greeted in Spanish and she followed his lead.

" _Hey back. We're at the arena."_

" _Alright. I just finished my warm-up…"_ Kasumi hummed and held a fist towards Kagami when he looked back at her, making the redhead roll his eyes and turn around, ignoring her as he followed behind the others.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Daiki slung his bag around his torso, towel on the body of the bag. " _So where should I expect to see you in the stands?"_

" _Somewhere high, the place is probably going to be full. We're on the east side."_ She paused. " _By the way, avoid ticking off Kaijo's captain. I know he's probably still upset with himself from fumbling last year and his team… well, I don't think they're good for his stress levels."_

He laughed despite himself. " _I won't taunt him. Kise, on the other hand… He's our piplup to mess with."_ His steps slowed as he neared the locker room and placed his hand on the doorknob.

" _Be careful."_ Daiki stilled and he hummed lightly.

" _I will…"_ He trailed off as he jerked the door open, blinking at all the eyes abruptly on his. "What?"

" _Eh?"_

" _They're staring at me like I'm a cat and they're are a bunch of dogs… see you later."_

" _Hehe. See you."_

Flicking his phone shut, he moved to a bench. "If you're all going to stare at me like a main attraction at a circus, I want to be paid."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi drew her fingers lightly through Nigou's fur as she watched, shoulder pressing against Kuroko's. The puppy nosed at her fingers, tongue lapping at her nails.

"Do all point guards do that? The Ippon thing?" She wondered, looking over at Izuki, who blinked back at her.

"Now that you mention it…" Koganei looked at the second year point guard, too.

Izuki looked at Furihata and Kuroko. "Do we?"

"I do not." Kuroko answered. "I simply pass when someone is open."

"Same." Furihata shifted in his seat.

A low whistle escaped her as the game continued. "Kaijo's ten is quick with the rebound." Her eyes lingered on her boyfriend, head tilting ever so slightly when their eyes locked, lip quirking slightly.

"How did you guys beat Kaijo?" Kiyoshi suddenly asked and those there for it stilled.

"Spirit energy." Kasumi supplied, sneaking Nigou onto her lap. "So much spirit energy, a kitsune blessed them from the good meal." Her eyes darted to Kuroko, who merely blinked at her.

Riko made a noise. "Did you watch?" She asked.

"Is that so?" The manager mused instead.

Fukuda groaned. "Nooo. Don't be cryptic, Kasumi!"

"It'll be like English all over again," Furihata added with a grumble.

She snickered as she tousled Nigou's ears. The game went on.

This time, her eyes lingered on Kise. ' _What are you planning, piplup?'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Daiki stared down Kise, blinking when he passed it to his teammate, throwing out a taunt. Side eyeing the blond, he wondered, ' _What're ya plannin'?'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Nigou was slid out of her lap by Kuroko, she noted idly as she leaned forward. Her eyes focused hard. "What was Kise's skills again? With his copying?"

"What are you thinking?" Tsuchida asked after Riko explained.

"He's focusing hard on Aomine."

A small noise escaped Kuroko. "But he's never been able to copy another Miracle."

"People change, Kuroko-kun. And I think Kise-kun is beginning to on the court."

"But can he even copy anyone better than him, like those from the NBA or something?" Kawahara wondered.

They fell silent as the second quarter ended and a drawn out, "Heeh," left her. "Touou is full of Gengars," she murmured.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"We'll keep going like this." Daiki cut Wakamatsu off. A slight smirk tugged at his lips. "Even if he can copy me, it either won't work against me and just you lot or it'll work against all of us or simply not at all."

"What?" Wakamatsu was bristling as the ace stood up.

Daiki tilted his head and shrugged. "Either way, if pushed the Giratina will come out."

Ignoring their confusion, he left the room with his phone.

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _How upset would you be if the Giratina came out?'_

 _ **From: Uxie**_ _  
_' _Depends. Will you crush him?'_

He stared out the window, blank.

 _(In the dark, the beast rolled over and flashed its eyes, teeth baring slightly)_

A sigh left him.

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _I can't guarantee anything. Not now, anyway.'_

 **From: Uxie  
** ' _Then don't be stupid, at least.'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi stared as Daiki moved to stop Kise from dunking. The ball hit the railing, bouncing up before falling back into the court.

Daiki stared at the blond before breathing deeply and stepping away. He headed away from the blond before his eyes opened.

A frown formed. " _Oh, Kise, what've you done?"_ She breathed out and leaned forward.

"Tachibana?" Kagami said and she could only shake her head, sliding her phone out.

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Did you see it?'_

 **From: Steelix**  
' _Yeah. We'll need to cool him down, huh?'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Giratina's started to pay attention.'_

Her eyes flicked back to the court.

 **From: Steelix**  
' _Let's make sure Snorlax gets the proper fur care then. He'll be grumpy otherwise.'_

 **From: Uxie**  
 _'You're one to talk, stupid.'_

More relaxed, she snagged Nigou back to cuddle him through the bag. "Stop hogging our baby, Kuroko-kun."

Blue eyes darted to her and she thought she saw a slight pout on his lips. "How rude, Tachibana-san. You're the one who keeps taking him from me."

She made a face before her phone vibrated again.

 **From: Steelix**  
' _Btw, look up to the south. I'm playing Zubat.'_

Her brows furrowed as she did, jaw dropping as her eyes caught the large form of her childhood friend in the rafters.

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Did my mom rub off on you too much?'_

 **From: Steelix**  
' _Maybe. You're worse though.'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Daiki couldn't help the slightly lecturing tone he took on as he spoke to Kise before moving along. They both moved along.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Their game ended with a dunk from Aomine and Ryouta landed on the ground.

Gold eyes widened then narrowed as his legs gave in. Teeth gritting, he tried again. They widened once more as hands caught his jersey and arm. Gold locked with navy.

"My style may not rely on teammates, but yours does. Don't be stupid."

Aomine handed him over to Kasamatsu before walking away. "Senpai…"

"You did good," Kasamatsu said, hand patting his head. "'Sides, it's not all over yet. Pay him back in the winter."

Ryouta saw Imayoshi say something and earned a cool look from the face before he smiled dangerously and said something to make the third year stumble.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Atsushi nodded at Araki. "Of course. Kasu-chin would be grumpy if I didn't respect you."

Her brow twitched, lips curving dangerously. "You say that and yet you still eat during practice."

"I listen to you," he returned. "I go to practice however begrudgingly and play nice with the team. 'Sides… Kasu-chin's mom is firm on respect, despite being an oyabun."

The woman and teen stared at each other silently.

His brows furrowing, he finally said. "If she finds out I told you, she'll make me eat vegetables. Please ignore me." He turned to leave, paused, turned back around a bowed lightly, turned away and ran as much as he could in the halls, sweat building already.

' _I hope neither find out… veggies are horrible, no matter what they do with'em!'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Riko sighed heavily as she lead the boys from the arena, Kuroko and Kagami both sporting sulky looks. She glanced at Hyuuga. "So Kasumi-chan left already?"

"Yeah. Said something about meeting up with an old friend." Hyuuga answered.

"She complained about me hogging Nigou, but she continues to leave him with me," Kuroko huffed lightly.

"Maybe it was important for her meeting up with her friend?" Furihata offered. "Kasumi-chan seemed a little wor-ried…"

At his stilted trailing off, they turned to the first year. "Furi?" Fukuda fell silent when he saw what caught the other teens attention. "Uh…"

"Tall…" Koganei mumbled.

Her eyes began scanning the tall, purple-haired teen even as he manhandled Aomine. A Yosen jersey rested on his long frame.

She blinked rapidly, trying to understand the rest of the scene.

The unknown teen was lightly pushing Aomine ahead of him. Tape rested on Aomie's mouth, his arms stuck in a jacket whose arms were tangled into a knot. Kasumi walked beside them, a bag of snacks(?) swinging in her hand as she spoke on the phone. The odd trio was headed to the exit. Aomine suddenly flailed wildly, smacking into Kasumi and nearly knocking her down. A quick kick to the back of his knee had him staggering and the tallest teen swooping him up and dropping him onto his shoulders, where Aomine fell limply and the teen said something. Kasumi shook her head and closed the phone, shoving it into her bag and waving a hand at the teen, leading the male to a large SUV.

Seirin stared in bewilderment.

"Did we just witness a kidnapping?" Furihata asked nervously. "I feel like we just witnessed a kidnapping."

"Kagami-kun, that was Murasakibara-kun. I don't know how he knows Tachibana-san though, nor why they would be doing that." Kuroko said slowly.

"I'm sorry, but was it just me or did Murasakibara and Kasumi seem completely casual in doing that?" Koganei blurted out.

They looked at Mitobe, questioning, but the teen was texting with a frown. He blinked at the response he got then sighed, pressing a hand to his face in resigned realization. A few motions had them turning to Koganei for translation.

Blinking slowly, he said, "What do you mean, Kasumi's mom is an oyabun? No, actually, how do you forget something that important?!"

"Is this how she kept sneaking into my house with ease?" Kuroko wondered.

Staring, Riko sighed. "I knew she was a troublemaker, but not like this… did she tell you much about her history?"

The freshman trio shook their heads.

"Think Chigusa would answer?" Hyuuga asked Mitobe and the silent teen shook his head. "Thought not… we won't end up on some kind of hitlist, will we?"

The freshman blanched and Mitobe looked at them unimpressed.

"I had to ask, alright? I mean - yakuza, okay? Please stop giving me that look, Mitobe."

* * *

 **So... I totally meant to work on my other stuff, but somehow ended up in the KnB bandwagon, mainly for Furihata and Aomine. So, uh... maybe expect more KnB stuff in their sections than anything. And if anything in this is confusing, I will say now that it's meant to be just snippets unless it's a game. I might expand on some parts (like the training camp), but for the most part, all of the seasons will be squished into one chapter. So chapter 2 is season 2, chapter 3 is season 3. If I do chapter four, it'll be over Extra/Last game, but only if I can find the manga version.**

 **That's all I have for now. Ja ne!**


	2. Chapter 2

Nearing the end of summer break, Mitobe opened the gate to the (surprisingly large) Tachibana household and went through, holding it wide for the rest of his team, minus the girls, and shutting it after. Kasumi had sent out a mass text, telling the males her address and they'd be celebrating from when they won against the kings.

"I thought yakuza had a lot of guards," Fukuda blurted out, voicing the thought all but Mitobe had in their heads. Fukuda shrugged sheepishly at the flat look said teen gave him. "In my defense, the only yakuza I've seen have been in movies, games, and manga."

That earned nods of agreement from the others and Mitobe rolled his eyes as he headed to a stand on the porch. Kouki watched with the others as Mitobe dumped out birdseed from a container and whistled. His jaw dropped as almost twenty bird shot out of the surrounding trees and landed along the stand, one by one landing on Mitobe's shoulder and pecking lightly before getting food from the stand. Glancing back over his shoulder, Mitobe motioned them closer and forced them to get acquainted with a parakeet.

His finger gently smoothing down the fluffy feathers on the head, Kouki looked at Mitobe. "What kind of parakeets are these?"

"And why do we have to be near them?" Hyuuga added, uneasily resting a finger on one's back.

Mitobe made a few gestures and Kouki frowned slightly, looking at Koganei for a better understanding.

The teen had a weird expression as he stroked the cheek of his bird. "They're monk parakeets. Uh, Kasumi and her mom use them as an alarm system."

"Explains why they were in the trees, then," Kawahara mused.

A few more gestures from Mitobe had Koganei gaping stupidly at him. "What."

Izuki nudged Koganei's shoulder and he blinked at them blankly. "Apparently, if someone were to try breaking in that isn't friendly with the birds will make them screech and the yakuza who live along the block with act as the guards."

They stared wordlessly at Mitobe as he stepped away and rang the doorbell. A loud dong followed and Kouki shared a look with his teammates when there was the sound of steps pounding on wood.

The door flew open and a younger male Mitobe look alike appeared in the door. "Hey, I'm Shiro," he greeted them quickly and held out an airhorn to his brother. "The girls are in the living room - they binged on ice cream, even Riko-senpai."

Mitobe disappeared as quickly as Kuroko did, his shoes thumping on the floor. Shiro motioned them in, whistling the birds away and the majority disappeared back into the trees. He closed the door after

A loud noise sounded from the inside of the house followed by four shrieks and a thud.

"MITOBE RINNOSUKE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Chigusa howled and the team paused in taking their shoes off, looking at each other warily before continuing to put on slippers and move down to what was the living room.

"Why do I feel like I have a hangover?" Aida groaned. "All I had was ice cream?"

"Ice cream binge eating," Kasumi corrected as they all stood in the large doorway. The manager was dressed in a Snorlax onesie, hair messy as she blinked dully at their coach, who was in an eevee onesie. Suzuki was in a Snorunt onesie and Chigusa in a Absol onesie. "Lasting brain freeze that turns to mush overnight. Needs caffeine."

She staggered off the large bean bag and past them down the hall. Kouki looked at Fukuda and murmured, "I'm going to make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

Fukuda nodded silently before looking back into the living room. Kouki quickly hurried after their manager, jumping slightly when Kuroko appeared with Nigou in his arms and a bag on his hip. At his confusion, the phantom shrugged.

"Nigou needs food and water since it's almost lunch."

Kouki nodded and whistled as they entered the large, fancy kitchen. Kasumi squinted at them before shrugging and downing a bottle of cherry ponta. "Is that okay for you so early?" He blurted out as she finished it off, slightly horrified.

"I've been doing it for years, Furi-kun. If something were to happen, it would have by now." Kasumi looked through her fridge before pulling out an orange ponta, blueberry ponta, and a carbonated water. "I'll be back with everyone. Kuroko-kun, you can put Nigou's stuff over there."

She left and the two settled at the large table, Kuroko having done as she suggested. Kouki pulled out the notebook with the foods she'd left him, having asked for him to get any allergies and Kiyoshi's favored food. A low hum escaped his throat. "I wonder how she plans on getting all these?"

"The Ishida Delivery service," Kasumi answered from behind, accepting the notebook as he lifted it up to her. "They're a favorite of mine when it comes to huge gatherings, which is what mama usually does with her employees."

"Isn't she an oyabun?" Kiyoshi asked as he settled between Hyuuga and Tsuchida.

"Yeah, but employees is a lot less terrifying for people to hear," Kasumi said with a smirk, heading to a landline on the island counter.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Taiga stepped up beside Tachibana, her landline in hand and notepad in front of her. "Hey."

She looked up at him, head tilting and onesie ears flopping. "What's up?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Do you have any of those chopstick clip things, kinda like trainer chopsticks? I want to try improving my left handling skills."

Tachibana stared up at the ceiling as she tapped her finger. "I think we do…" She put the phone down and began looking through drawers, muttering. "Ah, here we go." His brows went up at the tiny penguin on the end and she shrugged. "One of mama's old friends lost a hand in construction and he had to train his non-dominant hand. Tenji-ossan got those to mess with Jinga-ossan."

A small chuckle left him as he picked up the penguin chopsticks. "Thanks for this, and the food."

A shrug as she went back to the phone. " _By the way…"_ Tachibana started in Spanish.

" _Yeah?"_

" _I know you guys saw me and Sushi kidnapping Snorlax after the Touou-Kaijo game."_

His eyes widened, knowing Snorlax was her boyfriend. " _You mean…"_

" _Yes. Dai and I have been dating for nearly two years,"_ she confirmed, her eyes focused on the notepad.

Leaning against the counter, he squinted down at her. " _Why tell me?"_

" _Because you're a hothead and I don't want you trying to argue with him if you see us in public,"_ Tachibana deadpanned and he grimaced, knowing she was right. "' _Sides, our residential phantom doesn't know and I can trust you to calm him if he gets upset."_

" _He doesn't know?"_ Taiga blinked at her in shock.

" _No. When we got together during Teiko, things weren't good between them. So far only Piplup, Pikachu, and Steelix know and the first two by accident, and Steelix because he's the one I squealed about to."_ At Taiga's choked laugh, she grinned. " _He's like my brother, my partner in crime since before elementary. It was only fair that he knew about it. Delcatty doesn't know, either."_

" _Huh."_ He shrugged and straightened, turning back to the group. "Well as long as you're happy."

"I am." He ruffled her hair as she turned back to the notepad. "Now shoo so I can order lunch."

"Hai, hai."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"You know it's supposed to be a holiday, right?" Riko asked above her stir fried vegetables, staring at Furihata in mild exasperation.

Kasumi watched the teen shrug. "Yeah. It's just only Kagami and Kuroko play in games, aside from our practice matches."

"You should let them," Amaya advised. "Otherwise they'll be twitchy with a lot of suppressed energy. Not to mention, I need your help for the articles."

Riko eyed her then the male first years of Seirin. "Fine. But only if Kasumi goes with you and you make it far in the tournament."

"I'm fine with it. I've no plans for tomorrow but sleep anyway." Kasumi added.

Their faces lit up and they shared grins.

* * *

Kasumi eyed Kiyoshi as she messaged Kawahara's sister, asking how he was.

 **From: Lapras's older sister**  
' _He's down for the count. Just a guess, but I think he'll be better in a day or so.'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Alright. Tell him we wish him better soon.'_

An affirming response, she looked up at the boys. "Kawahara-senpai said he'll be better in a day or so."

They nodded and followed her, Fukuda and Furihata on either side as she lead the way to sign up. When they approached, she greeted the man as she began to sign them up, passing over the permission slip from Riko. Kasumi ignored the fuss behind her as she wrote down the information needed. She blinked in mild surprise when she saw the regulars from Seiho before swiftly bopping her teammates. "Move it, boys, others are waiting, too."

Grumbles were heard and Kiyoshi blinked down at her as they moved. "Why did you hit me, too?"

"I hit you? Sorry. Guess it's because you were close by?" He pursed his lips, but rolled with it. Kasumi settled in the grass, neatly swiping Nigou from Kuroko to lean against the tree. He was on her left while Kagami was on her right. Fukuda and Furihata were beside the older years of Seiho, Omuro and Sakamoto. Tsugawa was beside Kasuga and had Iwamura on his other side. Kiyoshi was on Iwamura's other side.

The girl looked through the map as she bit into a harumaki Chigusa had made for her before disappearing to wherever she went to get away from people (she thought it was her shed, but didn't look). Kasumi looked up at Kagami's questions and Tsugawa's outburst. Tapping his side, he looked back her, head tilting in confusion.

"Athletic third years from both middle and high school tend to retire early if the season is over for them," she explained for the redhead, knowing he wouldn't know from being too used to America. "Seniors still tend to visit the clubs to make sure they're doing well."

His brows furrowed more. "Cup?"

"Out of our division, only Shutoku and Seirin made it through," she answered. "The top eight teams from Inter High can get in for the Tokyo region. From there, it's the prelims and final league for entry, then the first through three rounds to get into the actual Winter Cup. From there, quarter finals, semifinals, and lastly the finals. This year, a lot of teams are going to be there for some kind of anniversary."

Kagami nodded in understanding, turning back around to continue eating only to choke and whirl back around. "You two brought him?!"

"Of course." Kasumi ruffled Nigou's fur before he bounced over to Kuroko, the redhead head leaning into Kiyoshi with a scowl. "Anyway, anyone want something from the vending machines? Seiho, you guys, too."

They blinked at her in surprise as her boys began placing down drink orders, which went into her phone notepad. Tsugawa blurted his out first and his seniors followed.

"Okay, I'll see you all in a bit, most likely at the court." She stood, carrying her bento in one hand as she headed off.

The weather was humid and Kasumi wondered when it would start raining - she could taste it on her tongue. A smile made its way onto her face as she neared the vending machines. One way or another, her and Daiki would gravitate to their spot. Looking up at the sky once more, she hummed and went to the vending machines, pulling out her coin purse.

"Kasu-chin?"

Jabbing the button for a lemon tea, she turned. "Sushi? Hey!"

The giant leaned closer, hugging her back. "You have people here, too?"

"What do you mean, too? The Seirin first years wanted to play, but a senpai had to take Kawahara's." He helped her slide the drinks in a spare plastic bag.

"Ah. Muro-chin wanted to sight see, but we ended up here," Atsushi said, disgruntled. "And I got lost."

"Do you know the team name?"

"Nope."

Kasumi chuckled lightly as they left the area. "Well, you can come with me. Maybe you'll see him or vice versa."

"Maybe… How's Snorlax? He seemed upset about being unable to play."

"He's twitchy and grumpy. You three didn't play in the finals, right?"

"Mmm… Mewtwo told me not to. Thought it was too early to try going against him again."

She nodded in understanding and looked forward. "Ah, we're here… is that Himuro? He's prettier than I thought." Kasumi looked up at Atsushi with a squint. "He'll be my brother-in-law, right?"

"Mmm."

"You don't even take the train to see me, so you doing this…"

"Kasu-chin talks too much, have some pocky."

Her eyes went wide as he abruptly shoved a couple pocky sticks into her mouth, a smaller bag of snacks into her hands, and she glowered at him as he went to interfere with the tip off. A huff left her as she went to where the Seiho team was, grumpily biting into the pocky. Tsugawa took the drink bag from her and passed out the drinks to the older males, setting it by their feet.

"You know the center?" Iwamura asked, looking down at her as she dug through the bag of snacks, grinning when she found a konpeito bag.

"Yeah. He's my partner in crime," she answered as she opened the bag.

"Why didn't you join him at Yosen?" Tsugawa blurted out.

She wiggled her fingers in greeting at Himuro. "Well, for one, Yosen wouldn't be running anymore if we went to high school together. Two… Tokyo is where it all started. Three… uh, how to put this... " Kasumi scratched her cheek, watching Kagami begin to egg Atsushi. "Me n' Atsushi did something relatively stupid in our final elementary year and some investigator was getting a bit too close."

"You make it sound like you blew up the school."Sakamoto said with a small laugh that faltered at her silence. "Ah… you didn't really blow it up, did you?"

Kasumi straightened as Atsushi passed her his bag, the giant answering with, "Fireworks send out a lot of sparks; we overestimated it."

"Atsushi!" She squawked and he blinked down at her.

"I overestimated it," he corrected and patted her on the head. "If you want to know more, look up Teiko Elementary Scandals."

The girl slumped against the rail with a groan, Nigou pressing against her leg. "You're going to get us caught," she complained. "And Tenji-ossan's gonna make us run laps for taking his stuff."

"Not my problem, I live in Akita." Her head jerked up and she gaped at him as he wandered back to the court. The teens from Seiho snickered and smiled.

"Traitor," Kasumi grumbled. A vibration from her hip caught her attention and she looked to see a message from Daiki.

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _Do I seem like a kid still?'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Only when it comes to food, why?'_

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _Delcatty seems to think that I won't take care of myself because of my injury.'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Did you yell at her?'_

 **From: Snorlax**  
' _Almost did, but I remembered to breath.'_

Feeling the rain start to pour, she knelt and pulled her umbrella out over her and Nigou. Atsushi and her boys, minus Kagami and Himuro, came over. The giant took back his snacks and the others their bags. Seiho left soon, the boys still giving her and Atsushi odd looks.

"Sushi, let's meet up soon, even if it's over webcam, ne? I gotta jet." He ducked his head under her umbrella for a hug. "See you, tell Himuro-san it was nice to see him in person!"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Junpei watched as Momoi rubbed her cheek against Kasumi's large fuzzy hoodie the manager had left in the office. "Thank you," she said to Riko, who had lent the younger girl a pair of sweats Riko had in case she ran with them.

Riko waved a hand. "It's fine, Momoi-san. I have your clothes in the dryer. We're lucky Kasumi-chan left her hoodie, I doubt my shirt would fit you."

Momoi smiled faintly in understanding and looked towards the door when it opened. "Tetsu-kun!" She rushed to hug the phantom, face pressing into his shoulder.

They listened as she explained, Kagami shifting slightly beside him. "Captain," he said softly and Junpei lifted a brow. "Did you know Snorlaxes come in dark blue?"

He blinked and nodded, immediately understanding Kasumi must have told their residential hothead.

Kagami relaxed and looked at Momoi, listening again as she told them why she came to see Kuroko. "He… he didn't yell at me," she said, confusion plain in both her voice and face. "He simply said for me to buzz off and left."

"Did he not tell you about what happened after the game?" Kagami asked, puzzled.

Momoi locked onto the redhead, worry filling her face. "What do you mean?"

"Tachibana and Murasakibara kidnapped him, took him to the hospital."

Pink locks shook slowly. "No. He didn't tell me nor coach." She blinked. "How is Mukkun involved?"

The question directed at Kuroko, he said, "They're childhood friends like you and Aomine-kun."

A vibration from his pocket made Junpei step away, pulling the device out.

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Hey, is Delcatty at Seirin?'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Sorry, I meant Momoi.'_

Confusion gone quickly, he messaged her back.

 **From: Magnezone**  
' _Yeah, she's here.'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Mind telling her Aomine is safe? That my Snorlax of a boyfriend ran into him at the store and he was alright.'_

 **From: Magnezone**  
' _You two need to tell her soon, you know. And I will.'_

 **From: Uxie**  
' _Hah! I told him the same, but he's worried my mom will influence her weirdly. Thanks for backing me up on that!'_

He sighed and shook his head. "Momoi," he called and they looked at him. "Kasumi said her boyfriend ran into Aomine at the store and that he's fine."

"Ah, really?" She smiled in relief, shoulders relaxing. "Tell her thank you."

Junpei nodded and carefully ignored Kagami's slightly amused expression. ' _Honestly, Kasumi and Aomine need to get it together. Others are going to find out eventually. Brats.'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"I can't believe you," Kasumi smiled lightly as she leaned into Daiki, the male swinging them in a tight circle.

"Yeah, yeah." He huffed, but when she looked up he was smirking. "I had to do something since I couldn't sleep. Putting up glow in the dark stars sounded like a good idea."

"In constellation form?"

"Shut up and dance, Uxie."

* * *

Kasumi squinted at a shockingly happy Kiyoshi before silently putting her bag in Kawahara's arms and moving to scurry up the tallest teen.

"K-Kasumi-chan?" Kiyoshi faltered, grabbing her to steady her as she hovered over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Your face is too cheery." The bandana hiding his face, she hopped down and moved to gather her bag from an amused Kawahara.

"Suzuki-senpai keep you up again?"

"Yes." Her brow twitched. She did smile when Kagami called Kuroko out. "Hey, is our child at home?"

"Hai. His great grandmother is watching him." Kuroko paused then buried his face into his hands with a sigh.

They laughed at him, knowing their manager was rubbing off on them with her quirks.

"By the way, Kasumi-chan," Riko started as they began moving. "How exactly are you getting away with wearing pants?"

"I threatened to run around boxers." At Riko's bemused stare, she shrugged. "Lot less leg showing than if I threatened to run around half naked."

Riko choked on a laugh. "And you're able to run around in a hoodie, too. You're unbelievable."

"I live to serve and cause confusion."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kiyoshi whistled as they listened to Riko explain the Winter Cup. "Wow, it's like Kasumi explained at the tournament. We face Josei, right?"

"Un." Riko nodded. "Let's win!"

"Hai!"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi shrugged lightly and pulled her hoodie slightly down, sitting between Mitobe and Tsuchida on the other side of the bench from Riko, Koganei, Fukuda, Furihata, and Kawahara in between.

"Is Kiyoshi-senpai going to be okay?" Kawahara wondered.

"Ah. He's just excited." Riko faltered as Josei's number nine suddenly yelled.

"SHE'S NOT SEXY AT ALL!" Kasumi and the team froze, eyes widening in horror. His finger jabbed at Kasumi next. "AND HER HOODIE IS TOO BAGGIE TO TELL - CAPTAIN, GIVE BACK THE EXCITEMENT YOU STOLE FROM ME!"

Ignoring what he said about her, she promptly slid over Tsuchida to sit on the edge of the bench. "I'm not involved, I'm not involved, I'm not involved," she muttered repeatedly, ducking behind Tsuchida.

"My heart isn't strong enough for this," Kawahara mumbled as he pressed into Furihata.

The people on the bench wheezed in silent terror as Riko fumed.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi held out an ice pack to Kagami, giggling lightly. "Furi-kun, we have more, right?"

"Hai," the teen said after looking through the kit.

"Does this mean I have to jump farther away?" The redhead mumbled as he slumped against Kiyoshi, ice pack against his forehead.

The other freshmen shared looks and Kasumi turned away with a snicker, hands pressed against her lips.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

She leaned forward, eyes widening slightly. The same feeling she had when Giratina was awake and her heart began to race in her chest. ' _Giratina version two…?'_

Spending time with Daiki had let her see him in almost all states except for Giratina; the beast she had only experienced a small part. In the moment Kagami had jumped, she'd felt something slightly. It wasn't quite the beast, but it let Kasumi know just how close Kagami was to Miracle status.

It faltered when Kagami hit landed on the floor on his back.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"At least Kagami-kun got a better handle on jumping," Kasumi said as she fist bumped the freshman trio.

"I'm still going to keep the ice packs, though," Furihata said with a small grin before they all turned to look at Shutoku.

"Let's go," Riko said, starting to the locker rooms.

"Hai!"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Standing in the main foyer, she listened as Hyuuga explained the generals.

"Mama's been keeping an eye on them," Kasumi said as she sipped her ponta. "The current regulars of Kirisaki Daiichi."

"Eh?" They looked at her in surprise. "What, why?"

"They have potential to be baby yakuza and one of them, the center Seto, supposedly has a high IQ. That, combined with Hanamiya's planning skills and their willingness to get dirty would help take out the darker parts in the yakuza territories." A bitter smile lifted her lips. "Mama thinks they'd be great acting as left hands."

"What are the darker areas?" Tsuchida asked.

"Human/sex trafficking and drug trafficking." They blanched and she pulled her phone out, tapping for a link she'd gotten a few days ago. "Here."

The teens moved closer, Koganei reading it. "'After two years of Police collaborating with a yakuza clan, a raid reveals a drug trafficking ring in Okinawa.' Is that your mom and her clan?"

"Have you not seen her for two years?" Fukuda asked after she nodded.

"Kinda. I mean, we spoke over the webcam and letters through proxies. Since she works with the police, she sometimes goes undercover for them. The Tokyo and Akita prefectures have been her territories since before I was born." She nodded to Kuroko. "Atsushi's parents, Rina and Tsubaki, are in charge of the Akita territories while the two older sons, Akihito and Zenichi are in charge of the Tokyo while she's gone. Okinawa is her newest one."

"Is she trying to stop the trafficking?" Riko asked, pressing against her shoulder.

"Yeah. You know Hanamiya's spider web?" The seniors nodded. "Mama wants to replicate that only in the areas that are heavy with the trafficking."

"It would be slowed or stopped completely." Hyuuga realized.

"Only if the imports are stopped, otherwise it'd only be slowed and maybe caught." Kasumi pressed a bit into Riko. "Akashi Masaomi, Akashi Seijuro's dad, is a silent supporter, using his business to move things for the clan. 'S why me and Atsushi were able to get into Teiko without a scholarship."

"Why do I get the feeling it's a bit deeper than that?" Kagami asked quietly.

"Mama said Masaomi-dono was head over heels for his wife. One of his competitors had a maid poison her lethally and she died when Akashi-san was five. Masaomi-dono pushed his son hard and remained distant to make sure he didn't lose him either." She looked at Kuroko. "Atsushi pushes people in basketball to make them realize their limits. The game against Kiyoshi-senpai in middle school was to see if he could stand up against the pressure from Atsushi, to see if he could be a diplomat for either Masaomi-dono or the clan."

"That guy?" Hyuuga looked at her in disbelief.

She shrugged her free shoulder. "Mama likes to think ahead." Her head drooped. "I don't think she counted on Sushi forgetting about it though, that blockhead. Or for senpai to rile him up again." She groaned and pressed a hand to her head.

They snickered and Rin patted her head lightly.

"Tachibana-san," Kuroko said after a moment and she looked at him, brow going up. "You said it was the willingness of them getting dirty that caught your mother's attention." She nodded, curious to see where he was leading. "Does that include Haizaki-kun?"

Kasumi blinked, lips pressing into the cold can. Finally she hummed. "Did you know golden blonds like Kise-kun are rare, even more so with matching eyes?"

Kuroko blinked at her, stoically lost. "No."

"They are, even outside of Japan. Add in his rather pretty genes and you get someone who would be a rather high seller in the human/sex market." Riko breathed in sharply, her hand catching Kasumi's and squeezing, blunt nails digging into skin, and they all paled. "The girl who was spreading rumors about being his girlfriend, the one Shogo-kun "stole," was the daughter of a human trafficker. She was to lure Kise-kun out of the public areas at Teiko and they were going to kidnap him, but Shogo-kun interfered and if Aomine-kun and Atsushi hadn't been there to witness it with me, he would be dead for messing with a sale."

"What happened?" Furihata asked, eyes wide. Kiyoshi, having arrived, leaned over to speak with Izuki, who quickly caught him up.

"Well… Shogo-kun was known for being a delinquent, getting into fights and truancy. So, the girl had like seven guys waiting. Two had Shogo-kun down in the grass, blood coming from a wound on his head, and another was hitting him. Two more were prepping the van they had gotten onto school property and the last two were speaking to the girl as they got things needed to hold down a body." She paused and blew out a breath, Riko squeezing again. "It, uh, gets a little blurry. I remember body slamming the one hitting him and swinging my bag at the other two before checking Shogo-kun over and calling the clan's doctor, who lived nearest to Teiko than the hospital. Atsushi and Aomine-kun had taken out the others, making sure they all stayed down. I think Atsushi sat on the girl and Aomine-kun called his dad, who's a cop."

"So they were arrested? And Haizaki was okay?" Koganei reiterated.

"Them and the small group they had. Shogo-kun had a concussion, but recovered smoothly. He's at Fukuda Sougo now in Shizuoka, Chubu." She smiled reassuringly. "Mama's got people watching over him and his family since they aren't in her territory. Daisuke-dono makes calls down to the police force there to check over the yakuza syndicate there, making sure none try picking a fight with them."

"That's good to hear," Fukuda said then looked around. "I think we need to leave, though. The janitors seem to be waiting."

( _WILD OMAKE APPEARS - IF KASUMI HAD WORN HER SCHOOL OUTFIT INSTEAD OF CHANGING):_

" _Only their manager is sexy-!"_

 **Smack!**

 _The teens and referees on and by the court startled and turned to stare at the manager, who was smiling as dangerously as her coach. "Say it again," she invited as she bounced a small rubber ball in her hand. "Say it again, I'll aim lower so you won't really be able to tell sexy to non-sexy at all."_

 _Narumi groaned helplessly from his spot on the floor, a dark red mark appearing on his forehead._

 _Rin silently took the ball away from her and replaced it with the spray bottle, knowing it was less dangerous. Furihata grabbed the ball from him and tossed it to a person in the stands, motioning for them to keep it._

 _The refs sort of stared at her then each other before slowly starting the match (they didn't really know how to act since her throwing the ball at Narumi wasn't totally uncalled for, but the rules mentioned violence meant a suspension from the court, yet she was the manager…? As long as she didn't try anything else…)_

* * *

Kasumi and Riko swiftly checked the bottles (drink and spray), towels, and first aid kit. "We're good. At halftime, I'll get the drinks replenished and new towels."

"Alright. Chigusa-chan's bentos are in the locker room? And the juice?" Riko asked and twitched as Furihata answered from behind them.

"In the cooler Tenji-san brought." He smiled nervously under Riko's annoyed look. The others chuckled as they joined them at the bench.

"Kuroko-kun is rubbing off on us," the brunet noted and sighed before beginning the pregame talk.

Soon their regulars headed onto the court.

Kasumi was in between Riko and Koganei, listening as she set up her camera and rested a knee on the bench (just like during Josei, she had a Seirin hoodie and pants). The game was begging, with Seirin taking the ball first. She began focusing for her pictures, eyeing Midorima oddly from time to time as he seemed different from usual.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Takao-kun's being a leech, again," she noted softly, watching as Midorima faked yet again and Kagami jump a second time.

Her eyes snapped to Kuroko, seeing him by the ball and quickly aimed her camera at Izuki as he caught the ball, clicking.

"He's mixing in fakes," Fukuda noted.

"What's he doing?" Furihata wondered, staring at Midorima with a frown. "He's not taking the shot, so what- oh."

They stared in surprise as Midorima passed to Takao.

"Endurance training, adding in fakes, and now passing? Midorima-kun's changed." A small wicked grin came to her lips. "This will be a fun game."

"Eh? Kasumi?" Kawahara stared at her.

She winked. "Don't forget, Shutoku isn't the only team to have grown."

"She's right. Mitobe-kun, get ready." The two stood, heading to the score table.

Kuroko settled in Mitobe's seat.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kagami and Kiyoshi double teamed Midorima.

Hearing Tsuchida, Kasumi wondered, "I thought Seirin's play was run and gun?" She looked at Riko and earned a nod.

"Our play is more offensive. You could say our true form," Riko said, continuing. "High-paced score wars are our specialty. Teppei-kun on the inside and Hyuuga-kun on the outside."

When both Kagami and Midorima were both being patted (read - smacked) by their seniors, Kasumi was taking pictures, finding their faces funny.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

A noise left her throat in surprise.

"Kasumi?" Koganei looked at her.

"He smiled," she said, lowering her camera so Kuroko and Koganei could see.

They looked back at the court.

"... think I could sell it to Takao-kun?"

"Isn't that extortion, Tachibana-san?"

"... forget I said anything."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kuroko switched with Rin. A small smile formed at the determined look in his eyes. Fukuda passed Rin a towel and bottle when the teen settled on the bench.

A giggle left her when Takao vertically face planted against Kagami when he tried moving after Kuroko. Said phantom was facing down Midorima and she whistled lowly as the teen used his new drive.

The others cheered.

"He perfected it!" Furihata fist pumped the air.

Seirin was slowly catching up.

"We're tied," Riko breathed, excitement in her trembling legs.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi wiped at Kagami's face. "You know, you can breath while having fun," She teased lightly.

He made a face at her before standing. Hyuuga led a quick cheer before they headed out. She catcalled him when he pushed his hair back.

"Nice look, Kagami-kun!"

"Keep your eyes on your Snorlax!"

Those on the bench laughed at her pout. "How rude, can't even accept a compliment."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

She growled. "Stupid Midorima-kun, blocking my shot."

"Little low there, Takao-kun," she grumbled, brow twitching as Izuki was forced to turn. Furihata wheezed quietly.

"Miyaji-senpai, seriously? Kimura-senpai, you too?!"

"Kiyoshi-senpai, are you mad at me or something?"

"Damn tall people and their damn heights."

"Nooo. Midorima-kun, that's inappropriately way too close, what about Takao-kun? And in front of him, for shame…"

"Kasumi-chan, breath." Fukuda cut her off, smiling lightly at her.

"Look though. They made my pictures weird!" Kasumi wilted onto the bench sideways to aim at Kiyoshi. "Amaya-senpai threatened to cause a racket if I didn't get a nice picture of Kiyoshi-senpai to prove he's back in action."

"He's getting ready," Koganei warned and she swiftly held the camera to her eyes, clicking it just as the ball went in. She eyed it and sighed in relief, quickly focusing on the second shot.

"Make it, make it, make it," the other three freshman chanted.

"Rebound!" Riko yelled when it hit the rim. They watched silently. "It's a tie."

Kasumi burst out laughing as Hyuuga, Izuki, Kuroko, and Kagami stormed up to an unsuspecting Kiyoshi. Confusion swarmed above the five as they spoke.

"Oh thank Arceus. I got a picture!" Riko saved her camera as she doubled over, wheezing against Koganei.

Rin picked up their giggling manager as they all left the gym, tossing her over his shoulder.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"I can't believe we lost our baby," Tachibana muttered as they looked around outside. "I can't believe we haven't got caught with him, too."

"I may or may not use misdirection to hide him," Tetsuya told her, making her stare at him in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes. The app that has animal noises is a great cover."

"Huh. Never thought to do that."

"That's because you supply him with treats, mom."

"Like you don't after Nigou-chan has chased Kagami-kun?"

"You have no proof."

A huff of laughter left her. "At least he gets enough exercise. Chubby animals are cute until they have health problems."

They looked ahead, seeing Momoi ahead with Midorima and Kise. Nigou noticed him, wriggling and forcing the girl to set him down. Tachibana swept the puppy up.

"Nigou-chan, you worried us!" She chided as Nigou licked her nose and rubbed their cheeks together.

"Tetsu-kun! Kasumi-san!" Momoi beamed at them.

"Kurokocchi, Kasumicchi," Kise waved slightly.

"Hello," he greeted, eyeing how annoyed Midorima was and looked at the cart. "Did Nigou use your cart as a bathroom, Midorima-kun?"

The megane promptly bristled. "He peed in it!"

Tachibana shifted the bag on her hip closer to Tetsuya and he opened it, pulling out wet wipes and paper towels, the girl plucking a bottle of air scent. "Midorima-kun, you and Takao-kun okay with lavender?"

He nodded as Tetsuya moved to clean up the mess, spotting a trash can nearby. "You might want to bleach it still," Tetsuya advised as he jogged over to the trash can.

Midorima settled. "Thank you," he said, stiffly.

"Oi, Shin-chan!" Takao called from behind. A buzz from Tachibana made Tetsuya look at her.

"We have to go, dad," she said and waved at the puzzled teens. "See you later!"

"Please stop calling me that, mom."

"Eeeh? But we shared a bed, Kuroko-kun!"

"Without consent. You broke into my house."

"You didn't kick me out nor call the police."

"I shouldn't have to."

"I made breakfast!"

"You nearly gave my dad a heart attack in your Pikachu onesie."

"It was the only one clean. Stop being so mean!"

"Please stop touching me."

"Denied! Admit it, you love me!"

"Give me back my child."

"Wha- Hey! Stop it!"

"I'll fight you."

"In court, maybe. Kuroko-kun, STOP BEING MEAN!"

"Denied."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi grinned as she went through the photo album Riko had from her first year at Seirin. The duo were at the coach's house, lounging on her bed in their pokemon onesies. "Riko, his hair was as bright as Kise's!"

The brunet laughed. "I know, it was so dorky, especially on him with his glasses!" Her smile faded slightly. "He didn't seem like himself until Teppei got through to him. I can never thank him enough for that."

Tilting her head sideways on the pillow to stare at the girl, Kasumi blinked. "You like them, don't you?"

"Eh?" Riko gazed at her in surprised confusion.

"You like them romantically," Kasumi repeated, sure of it after seeing the blush beginning to build along Riko's cheeks.

"I… I am…" Her face darkening, Riko tossed a wary look at the door before focusing on her feet as she hugged her knees. "And I dated Teppei last year, but…"

"It could have been seen as favoritism," Kasumi finished.

"Yeah…" Riko sighed.

"You guys fit each other, though. Like the Aura trio. You push the team, Hyuuga-taicho pulls, and Kiyoshi-senpai keeps them steady."

"I never thought of it like that."

They looked at the door, hearing a knock and Kagetora opened it. Offering a faint smile, he looked between them and leaned against the doorway. "I noticed you two were still up. Everything settled for the game tomorrow?"

"Un. Tenji-san is going to drop off the cooler and Kohaku-baa-chan has the bentos, food, and bottles. Amano-shishou has the towels and first aid kit. He'll be watching from the crowds." Kasumi sat up with a sigh. "They'll meet us at the entrance so the team and Riko know who to look for."

The man nodded and looked at his daughter. "You know you'll have to sub Air Head out if it gets to be too much for him."

"I know," Riko said, meeting his eyes evenly. "And I will if I need to."

Kagetora nodded solemnly. "You two better get to sleep soon. Night, love you, Riko."

"Night, Kagetora-shishou!"

"Night, Papa, love you, too."

* * *

Daiki followed Satsuki, their team, and Shutoku's team with a tired sigh. His friend had dragged him along like he was unwilling, but having seen who his girlfriend and friend's team would be going against, decided he needed to be there just in case Kasumi got pissed. He recalled what happened two years ago with a grimace. She hadn't even got fully physical like him and Murasakibara, but it had still been bad. Kasumi had refused to leave her house for most of that week, missing three school days.

He slowed, seeing two familiar people. "What are they doing here…?" He mumbled before his eyes widened and quickly began heading over. "Hey!"

"Aomine-kun?" Satsuki sounded from behind, puzzled, but he ignored her.

"Jinga-ossan, Tenji-ossan!" He called, shifting to a run to grab Jinga's hook hand before Tenji could send it flying with his cane. "What is wrong with you two? Are you trying to kill someone with this?!"

The old men averted their eyes sheepishly and he eyed them as Satsuki, his team, and Shutoku came up. Tenji looked at Satsuki curiously and Daiki stepped in front of her.

"No."

"But-"

" _No."_

"Tch, fine. She'd make a great thief, though," Tenji said quickly before clambering back into the van. Daiki groaned when Satsuki poked his back in answer. "Brat, get in here for the cooler. Jinga-baka can't get it with you holding his hand."

"Aomine, won't you introduce us?" Imayoshi asked curiously.

He tossed him a dirty look as he jerked the slightly heavy cooler out of the van. "That's Jinga-ossan, that's Tenji-ossan. Tenji-ossan's a former thief of the Ryuuzaki clan and Jinga-ossan's a former shingiin."

"Just because I lost my hand, doesn't mean I still can't go through the courts," Jinga grumbled as he snatched his hand back.

"Clan, as in Yakuza?" Nakatani asked, blinking.

The old men stared at him, puzzled. He shrugged and set the cooler down. "Tachibana Kasumi, Seirin's manager is the oyabun's daughter. My dad usually works with her mom to stop the darker parts of the yakuza."

"The raid in Okinawa, for example," Tenji said. "Oyabun had some undercover cops in the crew she took down to the island, Daiki's dad was one of them."

"Eh? Aomine-kun acted like he didn't recognize her, though." Satsuki noted with a frown.

"There was an unsavory incident in our second year of Teiko. Neither one of us really wants to remember it." The teens and Nakatani looked at him in confusion, but he averted his eyes with a scowl.

"Amano-shishou is going to be here, by the way, along with Kohaku-shishou."

"Eh?" He looked at Jinga in surprise.

"Ah. He's the only one Kasumi-hime trusts outside of Midorima-sensei and she's got surgeries all day. Not to mention, Kirisaki Daiichi has people Oyabun is worried about in the future." Jinga looked at the other teens. "You already know about Kiyoshi and his injury from last year, right? It's the same team today that fucked up his knee."

"Is Tachibana going to cause trouble?" Midorima asked, pushing up his glasses with a small frown. "And do you mean my mother?"

"She Kaede Midorima? Then yeah. And I don't know about the hime, but that's why Shogo is going to be here just in case." A feral grin turned Tenji's lips up. "I'd advise you to warn Kirisaki before Kasumi-hime goes postal on them if her team gets hurt."

His face paled, remembering just how violent Kasumi could get in protective mode. "Please tell me Kohaku-baa-chan is going to go through her bag."

"That's why she's going to be here." Jinga snickered. "Anyway, we have to leave. Make sure Seirin gets their cooler, yeah?"

Daiki nodded, still a bit worried as the old men drove away in the van.

"Aomine-kun," Nakatani finally said and he looked at the coach. "If Tachibana-san does go postal, what should we expect?"

Grimacing, he pulled the wheels out for the cooler and moved with the large group. "Tachibana's way of revenge has two mode. Pettiness and pain. If she goes with being petty, Kirisaki will be humiliated. If she goes with pain, we'll need to make sure ambulances are on the way beforehand."

"Tachibana doesn't seem violent," Takao noted.

"Neither does Tetsu, but both get pretty pissed when their friends or classmates are hurt. I'm gonna go find Seirin, Satsuki, and don't worry about saving me a seat."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." He waved slightly before heading away, frowning. ' _Wish Steelix were here, he's better than me or Haizaki at getting Kasumi out of her boss mode.'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Baa-chan!" Kasumi cheered despite her voice being muffled as she was squished into a shoulder. She flapped a hand at the man behind the old lady. "Hey, shishou!"

Kohaku laughed as she let the girl go. "Hello, darling. And it's nice to see the rest of you outside of pictures," The woman said, smiling at the team.

"Yo." Amano said plainly, wiggling his fingers as he carried his large first aid kit. He looked at Furihata. "Furi-kun, Kasumi-hime said you usually help her and Riko with the health stuff. Where should I put this?"

The mousy first year lead the man into the locker room and Kohaku walked with Kasumi into the room, her cart trailing behind her. The team followed behind. "Riko-chan, Kasumi-chan, I have the bottles and towels in two different bags for the first and second half to make it easier. I will need my cart back by next year during the spring, so you lot can keep it till then."

The girls stared at her in surprise then the cart. Kasumi and Riko looked at each other. "Why haven't we thought of that?"

Another laugh left the woman and she kissed the girls on the cheeks after checking Kasumi's bags, both duffle and camera. "I can't stay to watch, but I know you'll win. Have fun, alright? And remember to breath."

"Hai!" The group chorused as she left.

"I'm going to find Daiki," Amano told Kasumi, patting her head. Switching to Spanish, he headed out. " _And don't break them. Don't need the stupid trio worrying."_

Her eyes lowered at the words and Kagami ruffled her hair. " _Don't worry. We'll kick their asses in the game so you won't need to after."_

"Hey." They looked up to see Daiki in the doorway, tugging a cooler through the open doorway. "Tenji-ossan and Jinga-ossan had to leave so they asked me to get this to you guys."

"Ah, really?" Riko smiled and accepted the cooler (Kasumi had told the girl about the couple the night before). "Arigato, Aomine-kun."

"Did they say anything?" Kasumi asked and he smirked wryly.

"Wanted me to warn Kirisaki about boss mode, but I'm not mature enough to do that this early." With that said, he held up a peace sign and disappeared.

Slowly, Kasumi smiled. "Heh. How nice of him."

"Boss mode?" Fukuda asked as he eyed the girl suspiciously.

"I'm mama's heir," Kasumi said simply. They eyed her dangerous smile and sighed.

"Troublemaker," Riko groaned and they laughed, Kagami pulling Kasumi closer to muss her hair.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi swiftly prevented the boys from going crazy on the taping with a snicker. "He won't be able to play if you turn him into a mummy. Furi-kun, you should know better."

"Eh, Kasumi-chan is being a mom. How creepy." Kawahara blinked up at her innocently when she poked his forehead.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She squinted at them.

"Nigou is your child, not us." Fukuda grinned. "It's weird for you to mother us."

"Would you rather I smother you?" She retorted.

"Done," Furihata said, cutting their bickering short.

"Thank you," Kiyoshi said, accepting the knee sleeve from Riko.

Hyuuga was soon leading the pregame talk and the game was beginning.

Kuroko swept past Yamazaki and Kiyoshi dunked the ball when he received it, earning the first few points. "Let's win," she breathed out silently, staring hard at Hanamiya beneath her bangs. ' _We have bandages and ice pack, Amano-shishou in the crowd somewhere. Please, let's not need more than that.'_

From the beginning, Kirisaki was playing dirty. Her camera was taken by Kawahara and she looked at him blankly. "Let's just get pictures from the photographers they have here," he suggested as he passed the device to Tsuchida who put it away quickly. "No need for you to accidentally break it."

She could only nod and look down, Furihata taking and squeezing her trembling hands in his.

"You know," Fukuda began as Kuroko stopped Kagami from punching Hara, "I think I can understand how Momoi is in love with Kuroko."

A laugh escaped hers and the others in surprise as Riko called for a time out, her head shaking lightly. The seven got up and grabbed the bags and small first aid kit. All of them glanced at Kiyoshi in surprise at his words. Kasumi stilled at the words he aimed at Riko. She remained quiet as they moved towards the court, sharing dark looks with Kuroko and Kagami. ' _Make it_ _ **hurt**_ _.'_

' _We promise.'_ Kuroko had a hard gleam in his eye and Kagami a wicked grin.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Taicho, breath!" Fukuda called out to the megane. "Kagami, you too!"

Red and grey eyes flicked to the bench and both gave weak nods and Tsuchida huffed. "I think they'll just get more frustrated."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Strike one," Kasumi said placidly as the ref called a time out, sending them into the break for ten minutes, and those on the bench faltered at the angrily cold air she was exuding. "Two more and they're dead." ' _Go ahead, Hanamiya, make it to three.'_

Rin squeezed her shoulder lightly as they moved.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Aomine," Susa said and he hummed. "How close is Tachibana to going postal?"

"Postal?" Kasamatsu asked from beside Imayoshi (Kaijo had been in the seats and Satsuki had gotten them to sit nearby). She swiftly explained what Jinga and Tenji had told them.

Daiki stared at her, the way she was touching her charm necklace he'd gotten her for their first anniversary. The way she did only when truly aggravated. "Two more strikes," he answered after a moment. "She isn't in boss mode. Not yet anyway."

"We'll trust your words for now, Daiki-san." The teens turned to see Haizaki Shogo and his older brother, Tenshin. Shogo nodded absently to Satsuki and Kise when they blurted out his name.

"You're late," Daiki said and straightened in his chair as he looked at them, standing to have Tenshin take his seat at Shogo's odd look.

Shogo ignored it as he looked down at Daiki. "Did you know there's a Dratini colony near by?"

He blinked. "No. Is Amano-shishou with Seirin?" They walked towards the larger halls, leaving behind Tenshin, Kaijo, and Touou.

"Yeah, he is. The Dragonair in charge said word had gotten around and thought it best since Tachibana tempers are legendary." He grimaced. "Not to be rude, but I kinda hope she doesn't get to how she was the first time."

"Me neither… Let's hope one of her teammates don't set her off though." Daiki rubbed the back of his head. "Check on her?"

"Planned on it." They separated.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

' _They work well together,'_ Kasumi thought as Kuroko was benched, handing him a towel and bottle.

"Thank you," he said as he sat beside her.

She watched as Seto came out onto the court at the same time, making a hand gesture for her team to play it safe.

"Kasumi?" Tsuchida looked at her in confusion.

"Seto is the major reason mama wants the KiriDai regulars as his IQ is large. Combine it with Hanamiya's brains and they're monstrously dangerous together." Her head nodded at the court. "See how Izuki-senpai is unable to make a pass? He's their trap's target."

"Seriously?" Kawahara asked. "What do we do?"

"We wait, see how it pans out fully." Kuroko squeezed her forearm, letting her know he had an idea forming and she hummed lowly, their anger simmering.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Tetsuya passed Izuki a bottle and towel, motioning with his eyes to the stoically fuming Tachibana and Izuki smirked wryly, understanding she was ticked off for half the team.

"You had that same gleam in your eyes during the two Shutoku games," Tachibana said abruptly, drawing their teammates attentions. "What is it, Kuroko?"

Absently, he noted that she tended to drop honorifics when agitated. "There might be a way if I stop playing with the team," he answered, looking at Aida.

The coach shared a silent conversation with Kasumi after his explanation and she nodded. "Do it."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Daiki watched Kasumi tug her basketball charm as he trailed off. The leather rain drop anklet rested on his right ankle.

"Strike two," Shogo said as Kiyoshi was prevented from blocking. "They really want to die."

Aida called a time out once more. The duo tried melting into their seats when Kiyoshi stood, protesting against Aida. "That idiot." They cringed as Kasumi's temper snapped and she dumped the contents of her spray bottle over Kiyoshi's hair. Her frigid aura (Daiki saw the outline of the image lying over her) could be felt from across the court and he noted even Shutoku had looked over.

"W-would that be strike three?" Sakurai asked nervously.

"But they're teammates!" Hayakawa protested weakly.

"Disrespect of any kind is a trigger for her," Tenshin said, leaning forward worriedly. "Her mom is the only official 'female' oyabun and she gets shit from the other male oyabuns. It's worse since Kasumi-hime is her heiress."

They fell silent to watch with all their attention, Daiki worried for his girlfriend. ' _Kasumi…'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Stepping onto the bench, Kasumi upended her spray bottle over Kiyoshi's head, temper burning hot. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

The team froze, Kiyoshi faltering beneath her furious glare.

"You are not the coach. You are not the captain. You are neither vice captain nor manager. You are not in any position of power on this team. Where do you get off thinking you can make orders off court?" Her hand snapped out, preventing anyone from interrupting her. "It's selfish of you to ignore not only Hyuuga- _taicho_ ' _s_ promise to you, but also the wills of the others."

Shame filled his eyes and he averted them. Her voice lowered to a whisper so only their team could hear.

"Do something like this again and you won't have to worry about Kirisaki Daiichi."

"It won't just be Kasumi, either, idiot!" Hyuuga snapped at him, sliding out of his frozen state to step up to Kiyoshi with a scowl. "It'll be us, too!"

"Kiyoshi-senpai is what I imagine an older brother to be like," Kuroko said quietly, adding to guilt trip the brunet. "Aren't siblings supposed to help each other out in rough times?"

Rin moved and held his hand out to Kiyoshi, who sheepishly accepted it. "I'm sorry. I'll leave the rest of it to you."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

When Hanamiya brought his elbow down on Kuroko, speaking to the phantom after he dodged, she yelled for them to focus. But that was the only time she spoke after the game restarted, instead staying quiet and ignoring any attempt to speak to her, sitting at the farthest end closer to the Shutoku-Senshinkan game with her hands pressed together on her lap.

Kasumi felt drained, all of her frustration having been in the water she dumped on Kiyoshi. She hated getting angry, not having felt this level of angry since Shogo had been attacked. Half a week had been spent in her room hiding with Naomi Murasakibara, Atsushi's only older sister, making sure she was still active. Daiki and Atsushi had made appearances binge watching anime and binge eating ice cream (hence the term ice cream hangovers). Kasumi didn't understand how some people could be angry all the time - it was mentally exhausting. Her eyes drifted slowly up to find Daiki's, fingers brushing her charm. He nodded and leaned over to speak to Shogo and Tenshin. She refocused on the court as the game ended. Kasumi stood and walked to Riko as the coach wiped her eyes.

"Hey," Kasumi smiled wanly at her. "After the bow, I'm going to go on ahead. Amano-shishou should be in the locker room waiting."

Riko surveyed her and nodded, gently, but firmly hugging her. "Take your phone, well deal with the bags. Remember, hot springs in three days."

Leaning into the hug, Kasumi nodded. "Hai."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kaijo and his team were following him as he headed to the east exit. Shogo and Tenshin hand gone to speak to Akihito and Zenichi (who'd been the ones with the few men they'd brought) so as to head them off of going after Kirisaki Daiichi. He wondered for a moment then sighed. "Oi, Kise."

"Yeah?"

"You know that thing I threatened you about a couple months ago?"

A stumbling noise and snickers sounded. "Y-yeah…?"

"Be free with it."

"... I can keep my toes?" One of the members of Kaijo snorted and another wheezed.

"I don't know voodoo anyway."

Satsuki broke in. "Mou, what are you two talking about?" Kise slowly began speaking, as if Daiki was going to change his mind.

Daiki frowned as he spotted Kasumi up ahead. She was leaning against the door, staring at her phone as if puzzled. Her face seemed paler than usual, her bags not on her sides. "See you later." He picked up his pace, not hearing them following, and paused in front of her. Teal eyes connected with navy, slow in moving.

"You free to binge?" Kasumi straightened, arms going out loosely as her phone went into her pocket.

He stepped closer and pulled her up into his arms. "Always." She pressed her cheek to his shoulder, above his heart, as he set her on his hip. "You were good today."

Air warmed his neck when she sighed. "I wanted to strangle them."

He kissed her forehead and began to walk. "But you didn't. Want a fried food night?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, then."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"They're really dating?" Wakamatsu asked, the blond utterly flummoxed as the couple disappeared into the night, Aomine cradling Kasumi.

"Un." Ryouta shrugged apologetically at Momoi's bewildered and hurt expression. "They're private. Sorry, Momocchi."

Her expression shifted to something more wistful as she gazed after them. "Do you think she's why Aomine-kun is sort of like his old self?"

"Probably." He glanced after the couple himself.

"Then I can't really be upset." Her wistful smile turned mischievous. "And I can always show Kasumi-san his baby pictures if Aunty hasn't, yet."

All the males reeled away, Sakurai latching onto Ryouta in his terror.

"I'm not sure if it's obvious yet, but Momocchi has the most blackmail on us Miracles," Ryouta whispered. "Kurokocchi the second most."

"Looks like you owe Aomine an apology for thinking Momoi completely innocent," Susa muttered to Imayoshi. Ryouta looked at the Touou captain, unimpressed.

"I suppose I do."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Seirin slowed down when they spotted KiriDai standing near the hall entrance by the main foyer. Amano had given Kiyoshi an all clear but wanted to see him again the next day and given him crutches to prevent putting too much pressure on his knee. The man had left after getting a call.

"Hanamiya," he called and the opposing team looked back at them. "Is something going on?"

"There's yakuza in the foyer," Hara answered for their distracted captain.

"Yakuza?" Seirin exchanged knowing looks.

"Do you guys know something about it?" Yamazaki asked them warily.

Hiroshi and Kawahara watched in amusement as Furihata ignored their question and pass his bag over to use Seto as a stepping stool to see the yakuza.

"Oi-!"

"It's Akihito-senpai and Zenichi-senpai," Furihata said and dropped down to take his bag. The team made noises of realization. He motioned Aida forward. "Want to meet them?"

"Sure. I wonder if they have anything Kasumi we could use." Their coach mused as she lead the way past a bemused KiriDai. She did cast the three a curious look. "Have you three met them?"

"At the candy shop in the mall." Kawahara scowled. "They took all the strawberry yan-yan."

"Which you swore at them for," Hiroshi added and snickered at the exasperated looks from those who weren't there.

"You did the same when they kept bugging you at the game store," Furihata pointed out.

"They took it with ease," Hiroshi replied, wincing as Hyuuga bopped him.

"Oh, it's you three," the twins chorused as they looked up at them from the bench and stood, both tall but still a bit shorter than their youngest brother. Both had dark jeans and hoodies on, the clan symbol on the front. "And team. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too."

Akihito frowned and tilted his head, dark purple-black strands shifting with the motion as Zenichi frowned. They both drooped comically. "Kasumi really went on ahead, huh?" Akihito puffed his cheeks out.

"So we can't scare KiriDai? How boring," Zenichi grumbled, then straightened. "Want us to take you back home? We've got the buses with us."

"Buses?" Hyuuga repeated.

"Ah. When Atsushi mentioned your team was playing KiriDai, we figured it'd be best to have one bus for the men and one for you guys in case of injury." Akihito nodded to Kiyoshi.

"Yes, please. I believe Amano-shishou needs to know Teppei's address for his exam tomorrow," Aida said with a thankful smile.

"Follow us then." The twins made a motion to their guys who disappeared with the ease of Kuroko and began leading the way out. Zenichi turned to walk backwards, grinning wickedly. "Wanna hear some stories about the accidents Atsushi and Kasumi caused?"

"Yes, please!"

Akihito laughed as his brother asked them, "Did you know Teiko used to have an elementary school?"

* * *

At the hot springs, a recovered Kasumi followed Riko on her way to check on the boys (neither didn't really care if they were naked - Riko having been desensitized when she was younger and Kasumi having had shared a bath with Atsushi as kids). She was examining the camcorder in her palms that Amaya and Chigusa had gotten her for her birthday (a small celebration on November 22nd with friends). "Blackmail, blackmail," she hummed, both girls studiously ignoring the four startled Touou regulars.

"At least it's waterproof," Riko said as they peeked out, leaning over Kasumi when the younger girl crouched to turn the camera on and use zoom. "Is swimming even allowed here?"

"Isn't this sexual harassment?" Imayoshi asked before Kasumi could answer.

Said girl waved a hand dismissively, focusing on Hyuuga scolding the freshman. "The granny running the place is a yakuza, she doesn't care so long as there's no blood or sex."

Riko dropped her chin on her head. "Rather blase."

"Blood is hard to clean up in a hot spring, bodies only less so. Aww, look at Nigou-chan and his papa," Kasumi cooed. "Sakurai-kun, breathe. We won't do anything to you guys."

"That still sounds ominous," Wakamatsu muttered. The girls glanced at him flatly.

"Your freshman duo is coming," Susa warned and the six promptly disappeared, hiding as the two changed and left.

"What are they doing?" Sakurai squeaked in panic.

Kasumi snickered as Izuki yelled at the others. "At least Izuki-kun, Tsuchida-kun, and Kiyoshi-kun aren't joining in. C'mon, Kasumi."

"Hana-senpai will be happy," Kasumi noted as she did, camera going to her eye and catching Kiyoshi, Tsuchida, and Izuki's faces as they walked up. She winked and wiggled her fingers.

"You seem to be having fun." The six males froze in dawning horror. "Let us join you."

They whirled around, zoning in on Riko's darkly sweet aura with fear. "C-c-c-coach!"

"All of you, clench your teeth."

Kasumi whistled as she looked at the older girl's work, nodding to the trio as they left. "That was terrifyingly amazing."

"Thank you." Riko smiled at her. "I'll meet your at the hot spring."

"Un." Kasumi rushed to their room to put the camera away (their towels and yukata were already in the changing room).

In the changing room, she noticed an extra basket full of clothing and figured, since Touou was there, it might be Momoi. She made a face as she freed herself from her chest binder (a con of having a large chest) and made sure her yukata was close by before twisting and pinning her hair at the top of her head and walked out towel in hand to put in a splash free zone. Her steps slowed and stopped as she blinked.

"Are you two having a yuri moment? Should I come back later?"

Riko and Momoi looked at her blankly then each other, eyes going down. They released twin squeals and jerked away back into the water. "Kasumi!" Riko squawked.

Their protests faltered when they took her in, eyes a bit lower than her face. Momoi was a bit awed, Riko a bit jealous. "You're bigger than I thought, Kasumi-san."

"One of the reasons I wear a binder," she replied dryly. "Too huge for me to move around safely."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Riko asked, jealousy fading as Kasumi joined them in the spring.

"Only if you don't wear it properly or it's on for eight hours. That's why I only wear it for sports stuff and if it's too hot for hoodies." Kasumi melted as the warmth began seeping into her back.

The other two nodded in understanding and Momoi splashed the water a bit. "So when did you meet Aomine-kun? And the dating?"

"Met during… early summer? After the game with Inoue-san." She considered the events before continuing.

* * *

Kasumi glomped Riko from behind, beaming at Kagetora innocently. "I saw her naked!" The brunette buried her face in her hands to muffle her laughter as Kagetora whirled to them only to falter at the sight of Kasumi. Their team fell over.

"You…" Kagetora blinked stupidly at her. "But…"

She held out a hand, away from Riko. "Give me the gun before you shoot one of us," she chided and he did so before turning on the boys, ordering them to strip.

Releasing Riko, she quickly unloaded the gun, sliding the ammo in her pocket with wry amusement and hooked the gun on a ribbon connected to her bag. Kasumi looked up and smiled wistfully at the sight of the father-daughter interactions and cleared her throat, pointing a thumb behind her. "I'm gonna check our lodgings, see if we need to get anymore food before three days are up, and put the gun away."

They nodded. She wiggled her fingers and began walking to the door before a sudden rush of anxiety filled her, turning around. "Hey, Riko?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay away from the powders!"

"W-what?! … h-hai…"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi walked beside Riko, protein bars in Riko's hands and grape fruits in hers she convinced the older girl to get instead of powders.

"I've given him some advice, but that's all I can manage for him," Kagetora said, rubbing his head.

Humming, Kasumi said, "He has passes and a new drive. He needs to add to that… maybe a way to make a basket? Even if it rebounds… Tsuchida-senpai and Fukuda-kun could work on getting the rebounds…" She tapped her chin, the last part muttered.

"He'll find a way," Riko said, nudging her shoulder. "We just have to find a way to help when we can. Your idea with Tsuchida-kun and Fukuda-kun is good."

* * *

A scream built in Kouki's throat as a dangerous gleam lit Akashi's eyes as he moved closer to the three of Seirin. The scissors shone in the sun as they were lifted high in the air-

"RIVAL!" The shriek filled the air and he breathed in sharply as the manager of Seirin (their brilliant, eccentric, overprotective manager) crashed into the shorter redhead squeezing him. Kouki latched onto Kuroko and Kagami's jersey, jerking them backward as Kasumi distracted Akashi by squishing his cheeks. "You lost your baby face!"

The gleam and sadistic smile disappeared from Akashi's face as he looked down at her. "Tachibana-san. Shouldn't you be acting with more decorum?"

"Hah? But that wouldn't match my style at all," she replied as she let him go, stepping firmly in front of the trio as Akashi gathered up the scissors and began cutting his bangs.

"Aka-chin knows Kasu-chin?" Murasakibara asked, tense as he watched. Kagami and Kuroko pressed back against him.

"We used to play shogi in Teiko." Akashi said, not looking away from Kasumi. "Neither of us ever did win."

"Only because my quirks ruined your rules," she returned, swaying slightly. Midorima looked surprised, as did the other Miracles. Aomine seemed ticked as he looked at the redhead.

Head tilting, Akashi began smiling dangerously again, but he thankfully passed the scissors back to Midorima (he didn't even look at the megane, Kouki noticed nervously, wondering if he was like Takao _(but_ _ **stronger**_ _))_. "I see you're as protective pawns as ever." Kagami bristled and Kouki ruthlessly dug his toes into Kagami's foot.

"Promoted pawns, actually, and why sacrifice them when they have their uses?" She paused and tilted her head, strands swinging lightly from her messy bun. Kasumi hummed and chuckled softly. "Have you noticed that I got more promoted bishops?"

The air got heavy again and it was only because she retained the pressure Kouki didn't collapse. "Hoh?"

"You left your base, after all, Akashi-kun."

The gleam reappeared. "That doesn't mean anything, Tachibana-san."

Kasumi straightened, saying something in a different language that Murasakibara seemed to know and understand, his face turning to stone.

Akashi straightened as well, looming over her while speaking. Aomine and Murasakibara seemed ready to lunge and Kouki wondered why Aomine, then blinked. ' _Aren't Snorlaxes blue?'_

Her next words were sharper and they stared at each other, neither giving in until Akashi chuckled lowly and switched back to Japanese. "You've gotten braver. I can't wait until our next match." He said nothing more, turning and walking up the steps, swiftly disappearing from sight. Silence remained until there was a soft noise.

Kasumi's legs buckled and Kouki dove to catch her under her arms, lowering them to the ground as she giggled hysterically. "How am I supposed to be a yakuza boss when he still scares me?!"

Kouki wilted against her, face pressing into her hair. "You're insane, please stop laughing, I'm going to have a heart attack and _it will be all your fault."_ She giggled harder and he looked up at Murasakibara, who had come down the steps with the others. "Why is she laughing?!"

Murasakibara seemed exasperated even as he reached out to stretch and squish her cheeks, making her laughter falter. "I think Aunty dropped her on her head when we were toddlers. Kasu-chin, if you do something like that again, I'll squish you like a bug."

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!" She tried kicking him, but he was too close. "Off!"

"Stop being stupid."

"Kay, kay!"

The giant released her an she slumped back against Kouki, rubbing her cheeks. Kouki blinked at Murasakibara when he patted him on the head, but the giant didn't say anything, taking his snacks back from Kise. Aomine and Kagami pulled them up to their feet and Kuroko moved close to them, hovering a bit. Kasumi squawked as Aomine jerked her close, headlocking her and ruffling her hair harshly as he scolded her. Kouki looked at the other Miracles, who weren't trying to help at all, Kagami, who seemed to be fighting a laugh, and Kuroko, who he couldn't read still. Kouki looked at Murasakibara.

"Are they dating?"

Purple eyes blinked slowly at him, then a nod. Kuroko twitched in surprise but the other three didn't react aside from Kagami snickering at something Kasumi yelled.

Kouki looked at the couple once more, brows furrowing before he paled as he refocused on Murasakibara. "Please tell me Kasumi doesn't need biological children for heirs."

They all froze at the sudden question, but Kouki could only focus on how terrifying it would be if they had children. With Aomine's (presumably) short temper and Kasumi's yakuza and overprotective tendencies (she broke into all of Seirin's houses and forced them to have charm bracelets with leather wrist straps that could go on anything), Kouki could only wheeze. "Tokyo is _doomed_ …"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

The freshman quartet set up the bench, looking around in wonder.

"So many people," Furihata mused, calmer from earlier.

"Shame they're here more for Touou," Fukuda added.

"We'll change that," Kawahara said firmly and they shared grins before turning to their starters.

"Do your best!"

"Fighting!"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi snapped a picture from the end of the bench, humming. "They're not underestimating us. They're going full out."

"Shouldn't that be done at the end?" Fukuda wondered.

"Maybe. It depends on the flow of the game and the teams," Riko said absently. "Not unexpected."

 _Click!_

A wry smile tugged at her lips at the surprise on Daiki's face. The Ignite Pass Kai was a lot more improved than the normal one thanks to Kagetora helping the phantom. Seirin could catch it but only due to being the ones who had practiced with Kuroko. "We'll need to keep an eye on Aomine-kun."

"What makes you think that?" Koganei asked.

"It's a little frank to say this, but he's a Miracle." She blew out a breath. "They tend to be geniuses when it comes to basketball."

Riko hummed noncommittally and rose to call a timeout. The others copied, clearing the bench to help pass out towels and bottles. She wiggled her brows when Kiyoshi agreed with her, earning eyerolls.

"Go confuse the Oddish, taicho!" She cheered lightly as he walked back onto court.

"Of course!"

Kasumi frowned in confusion, seeing Sakurai get an odd look on his face and wincing when Hyuuga twitched in annoyance, starting a shootout with the brunet.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

The girls glanced at Kuroko when he spoke, sharing a quick eye conversation. "Be careful."

"They'll figure it out if we use it too much, but it's a gamble we'll need to take," Riko said.

"Are you sure?" Kiyoshi asked, eyes concerned as they flicked between the three. "What if one of them does figure it out?"

"As long as it works on one person or more, it'll be high-stakes, but I think we can manage it," Kasumi replied.

The five nodded.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Teal eyes flicked from Aomine to the hoop, lingering, and not for the first time, Junpei wondered if Kasumi would make it through with them playing Touou, more specifically Aomine.

She had Kuroko pressed against her side, hand on his towel-covered head as she stared blankly at the hoop. Her hand lowered to the back of his neck as Kagami spoke to him, blinking back into focus to share a look with the redhead.

"Black hole," Kasumi muttered as they passed each other, her on the way to the cart and him to the court. "Light can't escape a black hole… but how…"

His lips quirked up as he caught gazes with Imayoshi. Then again, Junpei couldn't think of anyone else to support their phantom on the bench when they were on court.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Fingers rested on cool metal as Kasumi focused on the court, Kuroko leaning into her in surprise as Kagami blocked Daiki. ' _I love Daiki, but even I can say he needs an ego busting.'_

"Giratina…" Kasumi breathed against her camera, fogging it lightly. A giggle escaped at Koganei's reaction at being stuck between the two aces.

"Who's Giratina?"

A wicked grin crossed her lips as Kagami blocked Daiki once more. "A Miracle beast. Kagami-kun has a thing for riling them up."

"Kasumi?" Riko hedged.

"Aomine-kun showed me once, just a bit. Furi-kun, that pressure you felt when you were with the Miracles? It gets more intense in the best way."

Furihata eyed her warily. "You better not be saying that because you're friends with half of them and dating one."

"... dating?" Tsuchida repeated slowly as the buzzer sounded.

"Snorlaxes are blue," Furihata answered flatly.

At first they looked at Kuroko, then realization hit and they jerked to stare at Aomine. Fukuda stared at her in mild horror. "You don't need biological children for heirs, right?"

She stumbled in getting up. "What's wrong with us having kids?"

"The apocalypse of Japan."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Making their way to the locker room, Kasumi swung her and Kuroko's hands slightly. "Do you know what startles me the most in ghost movies?"

All easily understanding there was more to the question, Kiyoshi asked, "What's that?"

"Ghosts usually hover at the edge of the character's awareness before disappearing when they turn to look."

"You don't get frightened with Kuroko," Kagami pointed out. "Not unless he's directly behind you."

"With a camera, you usually focus on what's in front of the lens and keep it a bit away from my face to make sure nothing comes up and blocks my view. You guys don't take pictures like an actual photographer, like me, and directly behind me is sort of like my blindspot. And in movies, it's usually from the character's perspective, so it's a bit harder to see where the ghost will appear at. Anyway, when the ghost does appear, the character tends to focus fully on the ghost and thus loses track of whoever's with them." She answered.

"Tachibana-san, you must be a mind reader." She blinked at him and his lips twitched up as they entered the locker room, the three freshmen moving to pick up the new bags with towels and bottles to switch them with the used. "I was just thinking of something very similar."

"Did you notice a problem with the aftermath, though?" Kasumi raised a brow and released him to motion him to a bench, dragging the cooler to the middle of the room.

He nodded as he sat down and accepted a bento from Riko. "They will be able to sense me afterwards."

"Another gamble, then," Kawahara noted as he checked the energy drinks.

"If the misdirection fails, we'll try it then," Riko finally said after thinking and getting a full explanation, not just the brief overview. "For now, focus on regaining your strength. It'll be brought up again when it does."

"What if they're on court when it happens?" Fukuda asked.

"This," Kagami said after a moment, bringing his hands up in a square, like a photographer checking their view. "A camera to the eye, since Tachibana brought it up."

"That'll work," Hyuuga said after looking around.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Hand pressing to her mouth, Kasumi said, "Maybe more hand strengthening exercises or simply catching."

Riko watched in wry exasperation as Hyuuga shook his hand out. "I'll ask papa."

They collectively blinked in shock at the court. "Imayoshi-san's marking Kuroko-kun? Does this mean…"

"Misdirection Overflow." Riko nodded as the Barrier Jump was shut down, too.

Kagami went after Daiki only to falter when the other teen moved midair.

"No way…" Kawahara breathed.

' _Giratina…'_

Seirin stilled when Kuroko turned away from Susa, hand in front of blue eyes as he ignored Imayoshi.

"Go for it, Kuroko!" The players on the bench yelled, shooting to their feet.

"Ippon!" Izuki called out before disappearing.

"Kuroko might need to be carried," Tsuchida mentioned, eyeing their phantom.

"Yeah… so let's put everything on the line." They collectively scowled at Imayoshi's buzzer beater.

Kuroko leaned into her as he panted, letting her rub a towel along his face and hair. Fukuda switched Hyuuga's bottle as the captain spoke.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up when she looked at Daiki. "Ano…"

"Kasumi?" Rin touched her shoulder, Koganei peering past him to look at her.

"What is it?" Riko asked, glancing at her and following teal eyes.

"Giratina is coming." She licked her lips. "The Zone is coming."

Hyuuga began shooting threes, going head to head with Sakurai once more until Daiki got his hands on the ball.

"It counted," Fukuda muttered, teeth gritting.

"Triple-team?" Furihata wondered.

"A challenge." Kasumi adjusted her camera. "Won't work… what is he doing?"

"Pressure," Kawahara voiced after a moment. "Kuroko threw him off by appearing after Aomine was mainly focused on Kiyoshi-senpai, Kagami, and the hoop. Fooor… high speed shots, right?"

"Basketball has a lot more intricacies than I thought," Kasumi grumbled, watching as Sakurai fouled on Hyuuga. Her eyes lingered on Daiki as Hyuuga began his free throws. "Giratina's out completely."

They stared in shock as Daiki immediately took back two points. Kasumi put her camera away before she dropped it, taking a pen out to nibble on since candy wasn't allowed on court. Her lips were a worried line as she moved to help pass out bottles and towels.

She glanced at Riko then at the five players. "Don't get injured," Kasumi said. "Amano-shishou will be ticked if you do.

Izuki chuckled as he headed back to the court. "That's a horrible way to encourage someone."

"Welcome to a yakuza's doctor care."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi flinched when Kuroko rolled, Furihata and Rin preventing her from going after him. Her legs stopped shaking as her eyes landed on Kagami. "He's in."

"Two minutes," Tsuchida breathed as the trio cheered for the redhead. "He's got two minutes to make sure it counts."

"He will. He's our ace, after all," Riko said, hands curling into fists.

They watched as the game went high speed. She winced as the ball nearly beheaded on of the pro photographers. "Getting a little dangerous there."

"Aren't Giratina dangerous?" Koganei asked her absently.

"Un." Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Daiki smiling. Her lips formed an 'O' and she was a bit dazed as Kagami passed Daiki not once, but twice. ' _Daiki…'_

Kagami jumped and smacked the ball. Izuki grabbed it and tossed to Hyuuga, making it 97-98. Kasumi didn't resist making a face when Daiki's eyes went over her face, earning an eyebrow twitch.

"Kasumi, stop it."

"Hai, Hai." Her hand gripped Riko's as she settled beside the brunette. Her leg began bouncing again.

"Kagami!" She called. "Senpai!"

Their hands released, hers going up in a fist pump and Riko's clutching her own palms.

' _Let's win, Seirin!'_

"Kuroko, do it!" They yelled. "Kagami, go!"

The timer hit zero just as the ball made it.

She was squeezed between Koganei and Tsuchida as they cheered. But her eyes remained on Daiki, tears brimming and falling as he fistbumped Kuroko.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Momoi, are you going to go after Aomine?" Imayoshi asked as they prepared to leave the room. Daiki had already taken his bag, so she didn't need to carry his.

"Yes, but… I'm going to give him and Kasumi-san a bit." She shrugged at his confusion. "Aida-san wants to go over there next opponents tomorrow and Dai-chan wants to go shopping."

A small smile came to her lips as she followed the boys out of the locker room. ' _Dai-chan does owe her after all.'_

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Daiki!" He heard her call and turned to look, spotting her bags swinging on her waist. His lips twitched at her outfit now that he took it in properly. "Oh, stuff it."

Dark blue ripped skinny jeans with lime green legging peeking from the rips. Black converse with red laces and a Seirin hoodie covered slightly by a light blue scarf. Her hair was pulled back by a hair clip, falling over her shoulders and scarf and he spotted eyeshadow.

"What's with the make-up?" Daiki asked, cupping her cheeks as she stopped on the steps and leaned into him.

"You guys made me cry. Not cool, Snorlax." A wide grin rested on her pink lips despite her words. Her arms went around his neck and he navigated the bag straps to hold her in return, face pressing into her hair.

They swayed in silence for a moment.

"Kasumi?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

They stilled and she pressed her face against the top of his head. Distantly, he heard rain.

"I love you, too."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi laughed at the pun Izuki made as she walked up to the team and nodded in agreement with Koganei.

"Fine, but we can't keep asking Kasumi to get our meals. Even with discounts and coupons it's still expensive. I know you've got the money, but…" He flailed a hand and Kasumi understood.

"Then what's the plan?" She asked, leaning into Kawahara.

"Well… my place is nearby," Kagami said, averting his eyes and scratching his cheek. "If Mitobe-senpai and Tachibana helps, we can make dinner."

"I noticed you didn't include me," Riko noted dryly and made him flinch. "Sounds like a plan. Let's head to the store.

"Hai!"

Kawahara tugged her sleeve, making her look at him. "Ano… Kasumi, could I ask a favor?"

"Favor?"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi and Kagami stared as their seniors and classmates lost their shit. Riko had wilted by the island counter, leaning into Kagami's legs. He glanced at Kasumi as he lightly patted Riko on the head. "They do know she only carried them, right?"

She wordlessly pointed as Koganei tripped over Kuroko and narrowly missed the coffee table, Rin lunging to catch him. Kagami cringed and Kasumi prodded Riko carefully with her toes. "I know the idiots are ego destroyers, but will you still make your special hot pot?"

"Hai…"

Soon, the three called out, "Its ready!"

Koganei gaped at it. "It looks good!?"

Kasumi threw a leftover potato at him. "Kagami-kun and I cooked, baka!"

"Why are there fruits in here?" Hyuuga asked dully, holding up a raspberry.

Biting into a mango, she shrugged. "It works. Now eat." She jabbed her chopsticks at the hot pot.

Finishing off two bowls, Kasumi stretched her arms and legs as she stood. "That was pretty good, Senpai, want me to take your bowl?"

"Ah, thank you, Kasumi," Kiyoshi said, passing his bowls and chopsticks over.

Making her way to the counter, she said, "No… problem…?" Dots danced across her vision, dark little bubbles, and the plastic bowls and chopsticks left her strangely numb hands, bouncing off the floor.

"Kasumi?" Tsuchida caught her arm, but she saw his legs buckle and they crumpled to the floor.

"Kasumi/Tsuchida!" Everything went dark.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"I want you to repeat after me: I will no longer go near the kitchen."

"I will no longer go near the kitchen."

"Mitobes, Kagamis, and Tachibanas are the only ones allowed without supervision."

"Mitobes, Kagamis, and Tachibanas are the only ones allowed without supervision."

"I will not use supplements for revenge against my team."

"I will not use supplements for revenge against my team."

Kasumi released the unbroken chopsticks she'd used to flick Riko's forehead with and let them fall onto the coffee table. "Good."

Riko grimaced as she rubbed the red spot on her forehead, pausing as Koganei suddenly screeched. Jaws dropped as a blond bombshell walked into the living room, pulling on a tank top and beaming just before kissing Kagami. Kasumi had her phone out in time to take a picture of Kagami's reaction. Kuroko nudged her and motioned to it, so she sent it to not only his phone, but the team's group chat.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Eh?" Riko blinked at Kagami right when Alex pulled her into a kiss.

Yet again taking a picture, she quickly hid her phone in Kawahara's bag. Furihata shook his head as Fukuda shook in silent laughter. Kawahara looked at her in exasperation.

"Take me with you!" Alex said, smiling.

"Only if you have Tachibana on speed dial," Kagami replied with a scowl. "I know you've got a thing for gambling."

Alex twitched violently. "That was years ago!"

"You still buy, and lose, lottery tickets."

"You-"

"I have a better idea," Kasumi cut the blond off, tapping her chin. "I've been meaning to give the team something anyway."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Koichi followed Kasumi into her yard. "Thanks again for this. I really thought Uncle Tadashi's trip was next week."

"It's fine, Kawahara-kun." She pulled her keyring out after they greeted a few birds. "Did you want a futon, bean bag bed, or actual bed?"

He opened his mouth to answer, faltering at the many pairs of shoes resting in the genkan. Koichi looked at her, but she was staring at the largest pair of shoes, brows furrowed. "Huh." They changed into slippers and went down the hall, her a bit in front, and stepped into the living room doorway.

"Atsushi?"

The taller of the duo stared at ten of Yosen's players in surprise as they stretched in her living room. Their coach was to the side with the couch and coffee table, the latter covered in papers.

"Kasu-chin, welcome home." The giant shifted eyes to Koichi, head tilting and eyes squinting. "Kawahara?"

"Hai. Nice to meet you." Koichi dipped his head to the whole Yosen group, absently noticing they were all huge. ' _His arms are really long…'_

Murasakibara nodded before scowling unhappily at Kasumi. "Do you still have the Banned PDA here?"

"Yeah. In the pantry by the potatoes." Murasakibara stood up and they sidestepped to let him through.

"Why's it by the potatoes?" The, well, buffest player asked.

"Naomi-nee likes messing with the lists on there to get her brothers in trouble and it's easier to hide it in places she doesn't expect. Not that I mind, but why are you guys here?" Kasumi asked and noticing Koichi's confusion, said, "The Banned PDA contains the places the Tachibanas and Murasakibaras are not allowed at anymore."

He squinted at her suspiciously as the lady coach answered, sighing heavily. "The hotel we were meant to stay at said all purple haired Murasakibaras are not to stay the night due to some mishap a while back. They were agreeable to our other players staying there, except for those usually on the bench and court."

Kasumi blinked as they sidestepped again, Murasakibara moving to hand the PDA over to the coach. "Was it the huge one to the east?"

"Yeah," Murasakibara answered as he sat down. "And before you start asking, we took the three guest rooms and living room basement. Araki-chin's in Aunty's room and Kawa-chin will need to use a bean bag since we took the futons."

She glanced at Koichi and he nodded. "What about your guys' dinner?"

"Ishida on dad's account."

A relieved nod. "Alright. Well, it was nice seeing you all, but we've still got school. Don't expect us for breakfast. Goodnight." Kasumi moved to hug Murasakibara and lead the way up the stairs after they both waved to the rest.

"Guess I get a bean bag bed?" He wondered.

"It's comfy, I promise. Do you mind sharing a room?"

"Nah. Had to share with Nee-chan on vacation trips, it's fine."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Did you really have to tape it? Furihata asked petulantly, rubbing his red cheek.

"Of course. I want the later generations of Seirin to know and understand what the first generation is about." Kasumi tucked her camcorder away.

"You mean the things we do to go far?" Koganei asked for Rin, since she couldn't see the teen's gestures.

"Exactly. I mean, last year Seirin had the potential to be a dark horse last year, but failed. We've got it this year. I want the next generations to know that."

"Mom sounds old."

"... heh? Is there a fly around? I think I need a fly swatter."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Atsushi caught her eye and she blew a raspberry, earning an eye twitch as the game began. "Kasumi," Furihata said warningly.

"It was only once, I promise…" They paused as Atsushi got a jumper violation. "That asparagus idiot."

Fukuda let out a strangled laugh at her words. Tension rose as they focused on the play.

"He must have worked on his reflexes," Kasumi said, lips pursing. "I'm thinking the three point line, Riko."

"His reflexes weren't good before?" Kawahara asked as Fukuda took control of the notes.

"Atsushi had a hard time estimating how hard or soft to throw light and heavy things. A basketball he understood how to throw for the most part since it's huge and heavy. Everything else… we had to replace a lot of things." Kasumi switched her knees, camera up high. "He must've trained them while in Akita.

"Yosen is preventing the offense rebounds," Tsuchida muttered.

"It's a good thing we all went through hand strengthening exercises," Furihata sighed as the first quarter ended, all standing.

Riko began explaining when the players sat, only to pause to stare at Kuroko. "Eh?"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"I didn't mention this during the Touou game, but I'm surprised you aren't worried about playing against Murasakibara," Koganei said as the game began again.

"I've never won against him during physical challenges unless his build prevent him from winning," she admitted. "His limbs were always longer and stronger, the only things I ever won against him was running and climbing."

"Running?" Kawahara glanced at her oddly.

"Mama threw squishy tipped darts at me and had me climbing things with different or no holds, like trees and brick walls. With Daiki, my swimming and baseball skills are better. So, while I'm not physically playing… I still want to kick their asses." She grinned impishly, aiming the camera at Kuroko as he prepared to shoot, then Atsushi. "And I definitely want teasing rights."

 _Click!_

"You go, Kuroko!" The boys cheered.

Kasumi snickered. "Sushi didn't expect that." She stared as Okamura ticked off Kagami. "Okamura is getting a little personal there."

Rin flicked her cheek.

"Sorry… kinda…"

He sighed.

They cheered as Kagami and Kiyoshi successfully defended, followed by Kuroko scoring and the halftime break began. "The worst is coming," Kagami noted as he wiped his face.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"It won't have the same effect," Kasumi said and Riko expounded.

"Kasumi, you spoke a few times with Araki," Riko said, looking at her. "Do you think she's thinking the same way?"

"Yeah. She reminds me a bit of Momoi-san. They'll definitely use Himuro-san." Kasumi pushed a new battery into her camera. "Kagami-kun, expect to go against him quickly in the third quarter."

He nodded, then tilted his head. "You three saw the last shot at the street game, right? What'd you think of it?"

The black haired girl shared a look with Furihata and Fukuda, the taller brunet answering. "It's got something to do with his hands. That's all I could distinguish through the rain.

"Himuro clearly doesn't have misdirection like Kuroko, so it's got to be some kind of technique," Furihata added.

"Himuro-san is really good at faking," Kasumi mentioned. "Probably something to do with that or related to it. Also, if Atsushi gets pissed, be careful. He's got the tendency to mess with people mentally, something Daiki pointed out after the Shogo-kun incident."

"How bad?" Kiyoshi asked, knowing he'd be the one to possibly face a pissed off Atsushi.

A bitter smile. "The Teiko mentality has nothing against it."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kagami moved in front of Himuro pretty fast in the third quarter.

"He really has the fakes down," Fukuda said, jotting down on the paper.

"His transition was smooth. Unlike Aomine-kun, he's fully orthodox," Riko agreed.

They fell silent, then Furihata said, "There it is."

"Tsuchida-senpai, get ready." The older teen nodded.

Kagami made a face at Koganei, but sat where the teen patted the bench. The freshman trio cheered at the three Kiyoshi got. "Go for it, senpai-tachi!" They crowed as Kiyoshi took over as point guard. The group whooped and hollered as the brunet dunked.

"One digit gap!" Furihata said gleefully as Araki called a timeout. Seirin moved for the players.

Teal eyes moved over between Atsushi and Kiyoshi, pausing in saying anything at hearing Kagami speaking to Kuroko. The buzzer rang. "Be careful, Atsushi is getting mad."

"Hai!"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Go, Kagami!"

She cringed as Kagami landed hard. "So close. Alex-san must have been teaching him some kind of dunk.

"What makes you think that?" Furihata asked.

"How he moved. Like a dunk with a far jump." Kasumi frowned in thought. They watched as Kiyoshi was once more triple-teamed, but still managed to dunk Izuki's rebound. Her camera dropped into Kuroko's lap and she stepped over the bench.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

His knee faltered and he could see the ground rushing to meet. Him, only to pause as thin dark-clothed arms caught him around the middle, bright neon red peering through rips as legs steadily lowered him to the ground. "Easy, senpai, there's a lot of sweat on the ground."

"Referee timeout!"

Tachibana let him pull away, rising with him. "Sorry. I tripped and fell dramatically." Teppei lied as he pulled himself up _(his knee_ _ **ached**_ _)_. Her hands pressed lightly against his arms before she moved away and he continued to speak.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Atsushi's angry," Kasumi noted absently, eyeing the invisible sweat she could feel through her hoodie.

"Senpai… he'll fight harder than the KiriDai games, won't he?" Furihata asked quietly and she nodded silently. Both listened to Kuroko as he spoke.

"I never went to the games he was active in." Her fingers curled around her camera. "Suppose I should have, since Akashi-kun clearly enabled him."

"You shouldn't have to control him," Riko said absently. "What about his parents or siblings?"

Furihata was the only one to notice how tense she got, eyes lowering. "There was an incident right before middle school began, so Aunt Rina and Uncle Tsubaki had to focus on Akita, leaving Akihito and Zenichi to the parenting. I'm sure you noticed, but Naomi-nee and Nitori-nii are also shorter than Atsushi. They couldn't really control an angered Atsushi without the power and he only listened to me because I get violent when I'm truly pissed." Her head jerked up, startling the listening teens before they followed her gaze.

Several pairs of eyes widened as Atsushi broke the hoop. "He's not even going full out…" She chuckled weakly as the referees called a halt and they gave her incredulous looks.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi swallowed as the game restarted, Fukuda having put her camera away and replaced it with her scarf, nails digging into fabric.

Atsushi kept preventing Seirin from scoring and scored himself. Kiyoshi and Kagami fell hard and she frowned in confusion when Atsushi held a hand out to Kiyoshi, then picked him up while speaking.

The sound of fabric made her look down at the suddenly torn scarf. She breathed in carefully as she folded it, not looking at Atsushi. Kuroko lightly touched her shoulder before switching with Kiyoshi. She shifted so he could sit between her and Riko, his knee being taped by Furihata. Her hand connected and squeezed his, scarf dropping onto her lap. She pursed her lips when Kuroko moved and got Atsushi fouled. Kasumi wanted to be angry, but knew she couldn't do much without getting her team in trouble _(it was their last year with Kiyoshi and she would not let anything interfere with it)_.

The new formation was in play and time blurred to the end of the third quarter.

Kiyoshi's grip was slightly tight; Fukuda's light touch to her shoulder told her silently that her duties would be taken over.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

They moved to the circle when Kuroko asked. Kasumi looked up at Riko when the brunette stood after hearing Kiyoshi's favor. "Kasumi, if I need to, I'll send orders."

"I'll take care of them," she promised.

The brunet duo left and Kasumi focused totally on the game.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"They're amazing, aren't they? Especially Yosen's number 12, his moves have no hesitation." A deep, slightly gravelly voice came from behind her.

Alex couldn't help grinning smugly. "I'd hope so, I'm his and Seirin's number 10's teacher…" She trailed off as she stared at the _(holy shit, he's huge!)_ speaker. "Oh… are you…?"

A faint smile formed on his lips as he leaned closer, eyes lowering. "I see Kasumi lent you one of the charms. Try not to cover it if you visit the north side of Tokyo."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi delivered Riko's orders, crushing the paper and handing it to Kawahara, who slipped it into her bag. "Use the clan's SL, Atsushi never payed attention to it."

"Hai!"

"Kick some ass."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Riko returned in time to see Kagami enter the zone.

"That's what I meant earlier," Kasumi said as Kagami pulled off the dunk. "That's what Alex-san must have taught him.

Kagami messed up her hair when she grinned at Himuro punching Atsushi. "Stop grinning like that or I'll end up leaving the Zone, midget."

"Excuse me?"

"Tachibana-san is resembling Akashi-kun."

"I'll show you resemblance, get over here."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Kasumi bared her teeth slightly as the light and shadow duo went onto the court. "Riko, please show me the Boston Crab Hold."

"You're chopsticks are more dangerous," Riko deadpanned, hand going up to her forehead.

Koganei covered Kasumi's mouth. "Stop talking and watch." He yelped when she licked his hand, jerking it away in surprise and gaped at her, hand wiping on his shorts.

"Ew, gross," Kasumi gagged, wiping her tongue on her sleeve cuff.

Riko ignored them. "Kawahara-kun."

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

The freshmen on the bench began cheering as Kiyoshi said, "Let's have some fun."

"Taicho, taicho!" She cheered.

"Let's do this!" Koganei whooped. "Only one point difference. Make a basket, minna!"

"He's in the Zone?!" Fukuda screeched slightly, leaning forward and nearly falling off the bench.

Rin squeezed her shoulder as Atsushi went on the defense. "I know."

"Go, Kagami!"

"Is that what you meant earlier? The technique?" Tsuchida asked as Kagami slammed the ball in a dunk.

"Un." Her brows furrowed in concern as Atsushi didn't jump and relaxed as Kuroko knocked the ball from the giant's hands. A cheer left her and she returned Koganei's hug tightly, Rin ruffling their hair before hugging them to him.

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

"Hey!" Alex peeked into their locker room, smiling brightly. "You guys were amazing!"

"Thank you!" The more verbal members said.

"I'm going to go find Tatsuya, but I wanted to pass on my congratulations and lead a guest to you guys."

"A guest?" Riko repeated.

"Me."

"Tsubaki-ji!" Kasumi squealed in surprise, lunging at the giant man for a hug.

He swept her up in a hug, kissing her head. "Kasumi, Seirin, congratulations on winning.

"You're huge!" The freshman trio shrieked, yelping when Hyuga smacked their heads.

Tsubaki let out a rumbling laugh. "It's in my genes, he answered shamelessly. "Would you mind leading me to my son's team? I believe he needs to be embarrassed."

"Tsubaki-ji, I love you!"

"I was thinking that place on block 78."

She giggled wickedly, smirking dangerously as she dropped to the floor. "He's going to hate you."

"What's on block 78?" Tsuchida asked.

"A vegetarian place."

"Murasakibara-kun hates vegetables," Kuroko added after thinking. "That's horrible, Murasakibara-shishou."

"I'm paying for the meal, so I don't mind," Tsubaki replied.

"Cool!"

"We still need to see our next opponent," Riko popped her bubble and she wilted.

"Oh, yeah…"

 _ **-LIR(tS &tU)-**_

Shogo scowled darkly to himself, worry lighting his nerves as he walked around outside, looking for anyone connected to Kasumi. ' _Fucking hell! Of all days to leave my yakuza cell at home! Where the fuck is the hime?!'_

Voices caught his attention and he looked over to see a teen from Yosen and a blonde bombshell. He did a doubletake. ' _Blonde bombshell? I wonder…'_

"Hey you! Blonde bombshell!"

The duo turned, the teen shifting into a protective stance that Shogo blew off as he rushed closer, stopping in front of her. "Yes?"

"You're Alex Garcia, right?" He asked even as his eyes caught her hand rising to her choker. Her recognizable choker and relief filled him. "Tell hime to look in the bleachers to the north. Tell her he's here and not prison."

Her eyes flashed in recognition. "Yakuza?"

"Alex?" The teen voiced his confusion.

She flapped a hand at him. "Are we talking some kind of yakuza showdown or what?"

"There's only one guy," he answered grimly. "Tell her Yamamoto Yoshiro is here."

"Hey, what's going on?" A voice cut in and they looked over to see a dark redhead walking over. A glint of gold made Shogo realize Kise was there and he let out an internal litany of cursing.

Pulling on his asshole act, he leered and wrapped an arm around Alex's neck. "Ain't it obvious, baka, I'm switching numbers with miss hottie here." To Alex, careful not to move his lips, "Hurry."

Alex pretended to jerk roughly from his arms, scowling dangerously dark at him. "Watch the hands, buddy. I sure as hell ain't exchanging numbers with a goon like you."

Lifting his thumb up to his lips, he licked it and let a lecherous smirk take over. "You say that now, just wait till I kick Kise's ass during our game." He tossed said teen a mocking smile. "Hope you can handle the heat, Ryou-ta-kun."

Turning around, he swaggered away, smile being replaced with a worried frown. ' _Please let her understand and call for help.'_

* * *

 **Okay…**

 **First of all - a list.**

 **I do not know where the yakuza stuff came from.  
I do not know where the B&E came from.  
I do not know where the Atsushi-the-childhood-friend came from.  
I do not know where the Akashi-is-her-old-shogi-partner came from.  
I do not know where the Shogo-is-actually-a-good-kid came from.**

 **There are a lot of things I don't know where they appeared from. That's why it has been a long waiting period, because of my confusion. I DIDN'T MEAN TO AND I'M SORRY.**

 **I'm focusing on FOTH and AA next, even though I've gotten back into Criminal Minds (anyone else see the Season 14 finale?). Please, wish me luck.**


End file.
